Related papers: Finite and infinite degree Thurston maps with extr…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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.…

Associated to a Thurston map $f: S^2 \to S^2$ with postcritical set $P$ are several different invariants obtained via pullback: a relation on the set of free homotopy classes of curves in $S^2- P$, a linear operator on the free $\R$-module…

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…

Thurston maps are branched self-coverings of the sphere whose critical points have finite forward orbits. We give combinatorial and algebraic characterizations of Thurston maps that are isotopic to expanding maps as "Levy-free" maps and as…

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 develop techniques that lay out a basis for generalizations of the famous Thurston's Topological Characterization of Rational Functions for an infinite set of marked points and branched coverings of infinite degree. Analogously to the…

Let $f: S^2 \to S^2$ be an expanding branched covering map of the sphere to itself with finite postcritical set $P_f$. Associated to $f$ is a canonical quasisymmetry class $\GGG(f)$ of Ahlfors regular metrics on the sphere in which the…

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…

A Thurston map is a branched covering map from $\S^2$ to $\S^2$ with a finite postcritical set. We associate a natural Gromov hyperbolic graph $\G=\G(f,\mathcal C)$ with an expanding Thurston map $f$ and a Jordan curve $\mathcal C$ on…

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 $[f^{-1}(\alpha)]$…

An orientation-preserving branched covering map $f\colon S^2 \to S^2$ is called a critically fixed Thurston map if $f$ fixes each of its critical points. It was recently shown that there is an explicit one-to-one correspondence between…

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…

Let $f: S^2 \to S^2$ be a postcritically finite branched covering map without periodic branch points. We give necessary and sufficient algebraic conditions for $f$ to be homotopic, relative to its postcritical set, to an expanding map $g$.

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…