arXiv subjects

John H. Hubbard

Publications and source records attributed to John H. Hubbard.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Creating pseudo-Anosov Maps from Permutations and Matrices

We provide an integral combinatorial characterization of pseudo-Anosov maps on closed oriented surfaces of genus g > 1. We show that an orientation-preserving pseudo-Anosov homeomorphism with orientable foliations and fixing all critical trajectories can be encoded as a permutation of 2g+v-1 positive integers, where v is the number of singular points of the foliations (disregarding multiplicity). We call such a permutations an ordered block permutation (OBP), and it satisfies an admissiblity condition. Conversely, we show that a surface along with measured foliations (up to scaling) and the pseudo-Anosov map can be uniquely constructed out of the data of an admissible permutation of 2g+v-1 positive integers. In particular, for closed surfaces, we construct every orientable foliation invariant under a pseudo-Anosov homeomorphism.

math.DS↗

arXiv2021

An Elementary Proof of Poincaré's Last Geometric Theorem

It is shown that the Poincaré-Birkhoff fixed point theorem may be proven by extending the geometric approach originally devised by Henri Poincaré himself, along with several results from elementary differential topology. Beginning with an example application of the theorem, we proceed by systematically constructing and classifying a certain set of invariant curves and their critical points. This classification is then used to prove the correctness of a procedure which guarantees the existence of at least two fixed points for any twist map of the annulus admitting a positive integral invariant.

math.SG↗

arXiv2019

Degree-d-invariant laminations

Degree-$d$-invariant laminations of the disk model the dynamical action of a degree-$d$ polynomial; such a lamination defines an equivalence relation on $S^1$ that corresponds to dynamical rays of an associated polynomial landing at the same multi-accessible points in the Julia set. Primitive majors are certain subsets of degree-$d$-invariant laminations consisting of critical leaves and gaps. The space $\textrm{PM}(d)$ of primitive degree-$d$ majors is a spine for the set of monic degree-$d$ polynomials with distinct roots and serves as a parameterization of a subset of the boundary of the connectedness locus for degree-$d$ polynomials. The core entropy of a postcritically finite polynomial is the topological entropy of the action of the polynomial on the associated Hubbard tree. Core entropy may be computed directly, bypassing the Hubbard tree, using a combinatorial analogue of the Hubbard tree within the context of degree-$d$-invariant laminations.

math.DS↗

arXiv2013

An analytic construction of the Deligne-Mumford compactification of the moduli space of curves

In 1969, P. Deligne and D. Mumford compactified the moduli space of curves. Their compactification is a projective algebraic variety, and as such, it has an underlying analytic structure. Alternatively, the quotient of the augmented Teichmueller space by the action of the mapping class group gives a compactification of the moduli space. We put an analytic structure on this compact quotient and prove that with respect to this structure, it is canonically isomorphic (as an analytic space) to the Deligne-Mumford compactification.

math.GT↗

arXiv2008

Equidistribution of Horocyclic Flows on Complete Hyperbolic Surfaces of Finite Area

We provide a self-contained, accessible introduction to Ratner's Equidistribution Theorem in the special case of horocyclic flow on a complete hyperbolic surface of finite area. This equidistribution result was first obtained in the early 1980s by Dani and Smillie and later reappeared as an illustrative special case of Ratner's work on the equidistribution of unipotent flows in homogeneous spaces. We also prove an interesting probabilistic result due to Breuillard: on the modular surface an arbitrary uncentered random walk on the horocycle through almost any point will fail to equidistribute, even though the horocycles are themselves equidistributed. In many aspects of this exposition we are indebted to Bekka and Mayer's more ambitious survey, "Ergodic Theory and Topological Dynamics for Group Actions on Homogeneous Spaces."

math.DS↗

arXiv2006

Andreev's Theorem on hyperbolic polyhedra

In 1970, E. M. Andreev published a classification of all three-dimensional compact hyperbolic polyhedra having non-obtuse dihedral angles. Given a combinatorial description of a polyhedron, $C$, Andreev's Theorem provides five classes of linear inequalities, depending on $C$, for the dihedral angles, which are necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a hyperbolic polyhedron realizing $C$ with the assigned dihedral angles. Andreev's Theorem also shows that the resulting polyhedron is unique, up to hyperbolic isometry. Andreev's Theorem is both an interesting statement about the geometry of hyperbolic 3-dimensional space, as well as a fundamental tool used in the proof for Thurston's Hyperbolization Theorem for 3-dimensional Haken manifolds. It is also remarkable to what level the proof of Andreev's Theorem resembles (in a simpler way) the proof of Thurston. We correct a fundamental error in Andreev's proof of existence and also provide a readable new proof of the other parts of the proof of Andreev's Theorem, because Andreev's paper has the reputation of being ``unreadable''.

math.GT↗