The Weil-Petersson Hessian of length on Teichmüller space

DOI10.4310/JDG/1343133703zbMATH Open1254.30076arXiv0902.0203OpenAlexW1581430693WikidataQ115170150 ScholiaQ115170150MaRDI QIDQ449166FDOQ449166

Michael Wolf

Publication date: 12 September 2012

Published in: Journal of Differential Geometry (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We present a brief but nearly self-contained proof of a formula for the Weil-Petersson Hessian of the geodesic length of a closed curve (either simple or not simple) on a hyperbolic surface. The formula is the sum of the integrals of two naturally defined positive functions over the geodesic, proving convexity of this functional over Teichmuller space (due to Wolpert (1987)). We then estimate this Hessian from below in terms of local quantities and distance along the geodesic. The formula extends to proper arcs on punctured hyperbolic surfaces, and the estimate to laminations. Wolpert's result that the Thurston metric is a multiple of the Weil-Petersson metric directly follows on taking a limit of the formula over an appropriate sequence of curves. We give further applications to upper bounds of the Hessian, especially near pinching loci, and recover through a geometric argument Wolpert's recent result on the convexity of length to the half-power.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/0902.0203

zbMATH Keywords

hyperbolic surfacegeodesic lengthWeil-Petersson HessianTeichmüller space

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Teichmüller theory for Riemann surfaces (30F60) Global Riemannian geometry, including pinching (53C20) Geodesics in global differential geometry (53C22)

Cited In (12)

• Weil-Petersson convexity of the energy functional on classical and universal Teichmüller spaces.
• Uniform bounds on harmonic Beltrami differentials and Weil-Petersson curvatures
• The Weil-Petersson curvature operator on the universal Teichmüller space
• Second variation of Selberg zeta functions and curvature asymptotics
• The Weil-Petersson geodesic flow is ergodic
• An extension of Wolpert's derivative formula.
• Convexity of energy functions of harmonic maps homotopic to covering maps of surfaces
• Plurisubharmonicity and geodesic convexity of energy function on Teichmueller space
• An introduction to pressure metrics for higher Teichmüller spaces
• Growth of the Weil-Petersson inradius of moduli space
• Uniformizing surfaces via discrete harmonic maps
• Limits in \(\mathcal{PMF}\) of Teichmüller geodesics

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