Jason Behrstock, Lehman College, CUNY

TITLE: Curve complex projections and the mapping class group

ABSTRACT: We will explain a certain natural way to project elements of the mapping class to simple closed curves on subsurfaces. Generalizing a coordinate system on hyperbolic space, we will use these projections to describe a way to parametrize the mapping class group in terms of these projections. This point of view is useful in several applications; time permitting we shall discuss how we have used this to prove the Rapid Decay property for the mapping class group. This talk will include joint work with Kleiner, Minsky, and Mosher.