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Balázs Strenner

Publications and source records attributed to Balázs Strenner.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Quadratic-time computations for pseudo-Anosov mapping classes

We give a quadratic-time algorithm to compute the stretch factor and the invariant measured foliations for a pseudo-Anosov element of the mapping class group. As input, the algorithm accepts a word (in any given finite generating set for the mapping class group) representing a pseudo-Anosov mapping class, and the length of the word is our measure of complexity for the input. The output is a train track and an integer matrix where the stretch factor is the largest real eigenvalue and the unstable foliation is given by the corresponding eigenvector. This is the first algorithm to compute stretch factors and measured foliations that is known to terminate in sub-exponential time.

math.GT↗
arXiv2023

Minimal Penner dilatations on nonorientable surfaces

For any nonorientable closed surface, we determine the minimal dilatation among pseudo-Anosov mapping classes arising from Penner's construction. We deduce that the sequence of minimal Penner dilatations has exactly two accumulation points, in contrast to the case of orientable surfaces where there is only one accumulation point. One of our key techniques is representing pseudo-Anosov dilatations as roots of Alexander polynomials of fibred links and comparing dilatations using the skein relation for Alexander polynomials.

math.GT↗
arXiv2020

Fibrations of 3-manifolds and asymptotic translation length in the arc complex

Given a 3-manifold $M$ fibering over the circle, we investigate how the asymptotic translation lengths of pseudo-Anosov monodromies in the arc complex vary as we vary the fibration. We formalize this problem by defining normalized asymptotic translation length functions $μ_d$ for every integer $d \ge 1$ on the rational points of a fibered face of the unit ball of the Thurston norm on $H^1(M;\mathbb{R})$. We show that even though the functions $μ_d$ themselves are typically nowhere continuous, the sets of accumulation points of their graphs on $d$-dimensional slices of the fibered face are rather nice and in a way reminiscent of Fried's convex and continuous normalized stretch factor function. We also show that these sets of accumulation points depend only on the shape of the corresponding slice. We obtain a particularly concrete description of these sets when the slice is a simplex. We also compute $μ_1$ at infinitely many points for the mapping torus of the simplest hyperbolic braid to show that the values of $μ_1$ are rather arbitrary. This suggests that giving a formula for the functions $μ_d$ seems very difficult even in the simplest cases.

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arXiv2020

Minimal pseudo-Anosov stretch factors on nonoriented surfaces

We determine the smallest stretch factor among pseudo-Anosov maps with an orientable invariant foliation on the closed nonorientable surfaces of genus 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. We also determine the smallest stretch factor of an orientation-reversing pseudo-Anosov map with orientable invariant foliations on the closed orientable surfaces of genus 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. As a byproduct, we obtain that the stretch factor of a pseudo-Anosov map on a nonorientable surface or an orientation-reversing pseudo-Anosov map on an orientable surface does not have Galois conjugates on the unit circle. This shows that the techniques that were used to disprove Penner's conjecture on orientable surfaces are ineffective in the nonorientable cases.

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arXiv2018

Algebraic degrees of pseudo-Anosov stretch factors

The motivation for this paper is to justify a remark of Thurston that the algebraic degree of stretch factors of pseudo-Anosov maps on a surface $S$ can be as high as the dimension of the Teichmüller space of $S$. In addition to proving this, we completely determine the set of possible algebraic degrees of pseudo-Anosov stretch factors on almost all finite type surfaces. As a corollary, we find the possible degrees of the number fields that arise as trace fields of Veech groups of flat surfaces homeomorphic to closed orientable surfaces. Our construction also gives an algorithm for finding a pseudo-Anosov map on a given surface whose stretch factor has a prescribed degree. One ingredient of the proofs is a novel asymptotic irreducibility criterion for polynomials.

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arXiv2017

Galois conjugates of pseudo-Anosov stretch factors are dense in the complex plane

In this paper, we study the Galois conjugates of stretch factors of pseudo-Anosov elements of the mapping class group of a surface. We show that - except in low-complexity cases - these conjugates are dense in the complex plane. For this, we use Penner's construction of pseudo-Anosov mapping classes. As a consequence, we obtain that in a sense there is no restriction on the location of Galois conjugates of stretch factors arising from Penner's construction. This complements an earlier result of Shin and the author stating that Galois conjugates of stretch factors arising from Penner's construction may never lie on the unit circle.

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arXiv2015

Pseudo-Anosov mapping classes not arising from Penner's construction

We show that Galois conjugates of stretch factors of pseudo-Anosov mapping classes arising from Penner's construction lie off the unit circle. As a consequence, we show that for all but a few exceptional surfaces, there are examples of pseudo-Anosov mapping classes so that no power of them arises from Penner's construction. This resolves a conjecture of Penner.

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arXiv2012

How large dimension guarantees a given angle?

We study the following two problems: (1) Given $n\ge 2$ and $\al$, how large Hausdorff dimension can a compact set $A\su\Rn$ have if $A$ does not contain three points that form an angle $\al$? (2) Given $\al$ and $\de$, how large Hausdorff dimension can a %compact subset $A$ of a Euclidean space have if $A$ does not contain three points that form an angle in the $\de$-neighborhood of $\al$? An interesting phenomenon is that different angles show different behaviour in the above problems. Apart from the clearly special extreme angles 0 and $180^\circ$, the angles $60^\circ,90^\circ$ and $120^\circ$ also play special role in problem (2): the maximal dimension is smaller for these special angles than for the other angles. In problem (1) the angle $90^\circ$ seems to behave differently from other angles.

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