Related papers: Algorithmic aspects of branched coverings II/V. Sp…
Using Thurston's characterization of postcritically finite rational functions as branched coverings of the sphere to itself, we give a new method of constructing new conformal dynamical systems out of old ones. Let $f(z)$ be a rational map…
For a degree d self branched covering of the 2-sphere, a notable combinatorial invariant is an integer partition of 2d -- 2, consisting of the multiplicities of the critical points. A finer invariant is the so called Hurwitz passport. The…
This manuscript represents the author's PhD dissertation thesis.The first part studies decision problems in Thompson's groups F,T,V and some generalizations. The simultaneous conjugacy problem is determined to be solvable for Thompson's…
Under some mild assumptions, an orientation-preserving branched covering map of marked $2$-spheres induces a pullback map between the corresponding Teichm\"uller spaces. By analyzing the associated pushforward operator acting on integrable…
We show that branched coverings of surfaces of large enough genus arise as characteristic maps of braided surfaces that is, lift to embeddings in the product of the surface with $\mathbb R^2$. This result is nontrivial already for…
For a post-critically finite branched covering of the sphere that is a subdivision map of a finite subdivision rule, we define non-expanding spines which determine the existence of a Levy cycle in a non-exhaustive semi-decidable algorithm.…
In the early 1980's Thurston gave a topological characterization of rational maps whose critical points have finite iterated orbits (\cite{Th,DH1}): given a topological branched covering $F$ of the two sphere with finite critical orbits, if…
We obtain an analog of the prime number theorem for a class of branched covering maps on the $2$-sphere $S^2$ called expanding Thurston maps, which are topological models of some non-uniformly expanding rational maps without any smoothness…
We are concerned with mapping class groups of surfaces with nonempty boundary. We present a very natural method, due to Thurston, of finding many different left orderings of such groups. The construction involves equipping the surface with…
We study the problem of determining the isomorphism classes of the virtually cyclic subgroups of the n-string braid groups B_n(S^2) of the 2-sphere S^2. If n is odd, or if n is even and sufficiently large, we obtain the complete…
Thurston's fibered face theory allows us to partition the set of pseudo-Anosov mapping classes on different compact oriented surfaces into subclasses with related dynamical behavior. This is done via a correspondence between the rational…
When is a topological branched self-cover of the sphere equivalent to a rational map on CP^1? William Thurston gave one answer in 1982, giving a negative criterion (an obstruction to a map being rational). We give a complementary, positive…
Recent work of Dylan Thurston gives a condition for when a post-critically finite branched self-cover of the sphere is equivalent to a rational map. We apply D. Thurston's positive criterion for rationality to give a new proof of a theorem…
We consider finite-sheeted, regular, possibly branched covering spaces of compact surfaces with boundary and the associated liftable and symmetric mapping class groups. In particular, we classify when either of these subgroups coincides…
We classify isotopy classes of automorphisms (self-homeomorphisms) of 3-manifolds satisfying the Thurston Geometrization Conjecture. The classification is similar to the classification of automorphisms of surfaces developed by Nielsen and…
Given a pair of filling curves $\alpha, \beta$ on a surface of genus $g$ with $n$ punctures, we explicitly compute the mapping classes realizing the minimal dilatation over all the pseudo-Anosov maps given by the Thurston construction on…
We give a generalization of Thurston's Bounded Image Theorem for skinning maps, which applies to pared 3-manifolds with incompressible boundary that are not necessarily acylindrical. Along the way we study properties of divergent sequences…
Motivated by the Bruhat and Cartan decompositions of general linear groups over local fields, double cosets of the group of label preserving automorphisms of a label-regular tree over the fixator of an end of the tree and over maximal…
In the second paper [LZ24b] of this series, we obtained an analog of the prime number theorem for a class of branched covering maps on the $2$-sphere $S^2$ called expanding Thurston maps, which are topological models of some non-uniformly…
A critically finite branched self-cover $f: (S^2, P) \to (S^2, P)$ determines naturally three iterated function systems: one on the pure mapping class group of the sphere marked at $P$, one on the Teichm\"uller space of the sphere marked at…