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

If $p : Y \to X$ is an unramified covering map between two compact oriented surfaces of genus at least two, then it is proved that the embedding map, corresponding to $p$, from the Teichm\"uller space ${\cal T}(X)$, for $X$, to ${\cal…

We prove that every sufficiently large iterate of a Thurston map which is not doubly covered by a torus endomorphism and which does not have a Levy cycle is isotopic to the subdivision map of a finite subdivision rule. We determine which…

We consider Thurston maps, i.e., branched covering maps $f\colon S^2\to S^2$ that are postcritically finite. In addition, we assume that $f$ is expanding in a suitable sense. It is shown that each sufficiently high iterate $F=f^n$ of $f$ is…

Let $\tilde f\colon(S^2,\tilde A)\to(S^2,\tilde A)$ be a Thurston map and let $M(\tilde f)$ be its mapping class biset: isotopy classes rel $\tilde A$ of maps obtained by pre- and post-composing $\tilde f$ by the mapping class group of…

A Thurston map is a branched covering map $f\colon S^2\to S^2$ that is postcritically finite. Mating of polynomials, introduced by Douady and Hubbard, is a method to geometrically combine the Julia sets of two polynomials (and their…

In this paper, we introduce cosine Thurston maps. In particular, we construct postsingularly finite topological cosine maps and focus on such maps with strictly preperiodic critical points. We use the techniques of Hubbard, Schleicher, and…

We show that Thurston's skinning maps of Teichmuller space have finite fibers. The proof centers around a study of two subvarieties of the SL_2(C) character variety of a surface, one associated to complex projective structures and the other…

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…

Let $X_0$ be a complete borderless infinite area hyperbolic surface. We introduce Thurston's boundary to the Teichm\"uller space $T(X_0)$ of the surface $X_0$ using Liouville (geodesic) currents. Thurston's boundary to $T(X_0)$ is…

We describe an application of tropical moduli spaces to complex dynamics. A post-critically finite branched covering $\varphi$ of $S^2$ induces a pullback map on the Teichm\"uller space of complex structures of $S^2$; this descends to an…

The holomorphic endomorphism f of projective space is called post-critically finite (PCF) if the forward image of the critical locus, under iteration of f, has algebraic support (i.e., is a finite union of hypersurfaces). In the case of…

Among Thurston maps (orientation-preserving, postcritically finite branched coverings of the 2-sphere to itself), those that arise as subdivision maps of a finite subdivision rule form a special family. For such maps, we investigate…

We undertake a systematic study of the infinitesimal geometry of the Thurston metric, showing that the topology, convex geometry and metric geometry of the tangent and cotangent spheres based at any marked hyperbolic surface representing a…

In 1980s, Thurston established a topological characterization theorem for postcritically finite rational maps. In this paper, a decomposition theorem for a class of postcritically infinite branched covering termed `Herman map' is developed.…

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…

Thurston's boundary to the universal Teichm\"uller space $T(\mathbb{H})$ is the set of asymptotic rays to the embedding of $T(\mathbb{H})$ in the space of geodesic currents; the boundary is identified with the projective bounded measured…

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…

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…

In this paper, we show that each expanding Thurston map $f : S^2\rightarrow S^2$ has $1+ deg f$ fixed points, counted with appropriate weight, where $ deg f$ denotes the topological degree of the map $f$. We then prove the equidistribution…

We study canonical decompositions of postcritically finite branched coverings of the 2-sphere, as defined by K.~Pilgrim. We show that every hyperbolic cycle in the decomposition does not have a Thurston obstruction. It is thus Thurston…