Combinatorics of Train Tracks
Mar 2016 · Princeton University Press
Ebook
232
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
Measured geodesic laminations are a natural generalization of simple closed curves in surfaces, and they play a decisive role in various developments in two-and three-dimensional topology, geometry, and dynamical systems. This book presents a self-contained and comprehensive treatment of the rich combinatorial structure of the space of measured geodesic laminations in a fixed surface. Families of measured geodesic laminations are described by specifying a train track in the surface, and the space of measured geodesic laminations is analyzed by studying properties of train tracks in the surface. The material is developed from first principles, the techniques employed are essentially combinatorial, and only a minimal background is required on the part of the reader. Specifically, familiarity with elementary differential topology and hyperbolic geometry is assumed. The first chapter treats the basic theory of train tracks as discovered by W. P. Thurston, including recurrence, transverse recurrence, and the explicit construction of a measured geodesic lamination from a measured train track. The subsequent chapters develop certain material from R. C. Penner's thesis, including a natural equivalence relation on measured train tracks and standard models for the equivalence classes (which are used to analyze the topology and geometry of the space of measured geodesic laminations), a duality between transverse and tangential structures on a train track, and the explicit computation of the action of the mapping class group on the space of measured geodesic laminations in the surface.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
