The Cannon–Thurston map for punctured-surface groups

Abstract

Let Γ be the fundamental group of a compact surface group with non-empty boundary. We suppose that Γ admits a properly discontinuous strictly type preserving action on hyperbolic 3-space such that there is a positive lower bound on the translation lengths of loxodromic elements. We describe the Cannon–Thurston map in this case. In particular, we show that there is a continuous equivariant map of the circle to the boundary of hyperbolic 3-space, where the action on the circle is obtained by taking any finite-area complete hyperbolic structure on the surface, and lifting to the boundary of hyperbolic 2-space. We deduce that the limit set is locally connected, hence a dentrite in the singly degenerate case. Moreover, we show that the Cannon–Thurston map can be described topologically as the quotient of the circle by the equivalence relations arising from the ends of the quotient 3-manifold. For closed surface bundles over the circle, this was obtained by Cannon and Thurston. Some generalisations and variations have been obtained by Minsky, Mitra, Alperin, Dicks, Porti, McMullen and Cannon. We deduce that a finitely generated kleinian group with a positive lower bound on the translation lengths of loxodromics has a locally connected limit set assuming it is connected.