Texas A&M
University, Department of
Mathematics, 216 Milner Hall, 14th of November 2007, 3:00-3:50
Groups and Dynamics Seminar
A new link between Teichmuller Theory and Complex Dynamics
Sarah Koch of Cornell University
Inspired by Thurston's theorem of the characterization of rational maps,
J. H. Hubbard posed the "twisted rabbits" problem. This problem was
recently solved by L. Bartholdi and V. Nekrashevych using original
techniques involving iterated monodromy groups. A key part of their
solution contains the construction of a map on a certain moduli space.
We discuss Thurston's theorem and present the "twisted rabbits"
problem. We then generalize the construction of these
Bartholdi-Nekrashevych maps and discuss their dynamical significance.