Title: Teichmuller theory in outer space (joint work with Michael Handel)
Lee Mosher (Rutgers University - Newark)
Tuesday, December 2 at 1:30pm in Malott 406
Abstract:
The outer automorphism group Out(F_n) of a free group of rank n
acts on the Culler Vogtmann moduli space of marked, metric graphs of rank
n, known as "outer space" X_n. This action is analogous to the action of
the mapping class group of a surface on the Teichmuller space of that
surface. Using the structure of Teichmuller space as a guide, we are
exploring various questions and conjectures about the structure of outer
space. This talk will focus on some initial results regarding expansion
factors and axes of outer automorphisms Phi which are completely
irreducible, meaning that Phi^n is irreducible for all n >= 1.