Related papers: On the rank of the Thurston pullback map

We consider rational maps $f$ on the Riemann sphere $\widehat {\mathbb{C}}$ with an $f$-invariant set $P\subset \widehat {\mathbb{C}}$ of four marked points containing the postcritical set of $f$. We show that the dynamics of the…

Let $f$ be a postcritically finite branched self-cover of a 2-dimensional topological sphere. Such a map induces an analytic self-map $\sigma_f$ of a finite-dimensional Teichm\"uller space. We prove that this map extends continuously to the…

Every Thurston map $f\colon S^2\rightarrow S^2$ on a $2$-sphere $S^2$ induces a pull-back operation on Jordan curves $\alpha\subset S^2\setminus P_f$, where $P_f$ is the postcritical set of $f$. Here the isotopy class $[f^{-1}(\alpha)]$…

Let f: P^1 \to P^1 be a rational map with finite postcritical set P_f. Thurston showed that f induces a holomorphic map \sigma_f of the Teichmueller space T modelled on P_f to itself fixing the basepoint corresponding to the identity map…

We investigate the family of marked Thurston maps that are defined everywhere on the topological sphere $S^2$, potentially excluding at most countable closed set of essential singularities. We show that when an unmarked Thurston map $f$ is…

A Thurston map $f\colon (S^2, A) \to (S^2, A)$ with marking set $A$ induces a pullback relation on isotopy classes of Jordan curves in $(S^2, A)$. If every curve lands in a finite list of possible curve classes after iterating this pullback…

We develop the theory of Thurston maps that are defined everywhere on the topological sphere $S^2$ with a possible exception of a single essential singularity. We establish an analog of the celebrated W. Thurston's characterization theorem…

Via taking connected components of preimages, a Thurston map $f: (S^2, P_f) \to (S^2, P_f)$ induces a pullback relation on the set of isotopy classes of curves in the complement of its postcritical set $P_f$. We survey known results about…

A Thurston map is called nearly Euclidean if its local degree at each critical point is 2 and it has exactly four postcritical points. Nearly Euclidean Thurston (NET) maps are simple generalizations of rational Lattes maps. We investigate…

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…

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…

We study the dynamics of Thurston maps under iteration. These are branched covering maps $f$ of 2-spheres $S^2$ with a finite set $\mathop{post}(f)$ of postcritical points. We also assume that the maps are expanding in a suitable sense.…

The dynamical classification of rational maps is a central concern of holomorphic dynamics. Much progress has been made, especially on the classification of polynomials and some approachable one-parameter families of rational maps; the goal…

Let $\phi$ be a post-critically finite branched covering of a two-sphere. By work of Koch, the Thurston pullback map induced by $\phi$ on Teichm\"{u}ller space descends to a multi-valued self-map --- a Hurwitz correspondence…

An orientation-preserving branched covering $f: S^2 \to S^2$ is a nearly Euclidean Thurston (NET) map if each critical point is simple and its postcritical set has exactly four points. Inspired by classical, non-dynamical notions such as…

Renormalizations can be considered as building blocks of complex dynamical systems. This phenomenon has been widely studied for iterations of polynomials of one complex variable. Concerning non-polynomial hyperbolic rational maps, a recent…

We provide a complete combinatorial classification of critically fixed anti-Thurston maps, i.e., orientation-reversing branched covers of the 2-sphere that fix every critical point. The first step in the proof, and an interesting result in…

Let $f:(\mathbb{P}^1,P)\to(\mathbb{P}^1,P)$ be a postcritically finite rational map with postcritical set $P$. William Thurston showed that $f$ induces a holomorphic pullback map $\sigma_f:\mathcal{T}_P\to\mathcal{T}_P$ on the Teichm\"uller…

We prove that every postsingularly finite entire map $g$ can be approximated by a sequence of postcritically finite complex polynomials $(g_n)$ such that their postsingular dynamics $g|P_g$ and $g_n|P_{g_n}$ are conjugate for every $n \in…

The goal of this note is to generalize Thurston's Topological Characterization of Rational Functions to the setting when both the covering degree and the set of marked points are infinite. A relevant class of branched coverings are…