Ping-pong partitions and locally discrete groups of real-analytic circle diffeomorphisms, II: Applications

Abstract

In the first part of this work we have established an efficient method to obtain a topological classification of locally discrete, finitely generated, virtually free subgroups of real-analytic circle diffeomorphisms. In this second part we describe several consequences, among which the solution (within this setting) to an old conjecture by P. R. Dippolito [Ann. Math. 107 (1978), 403-453] that actions with invariant Cantor sets must be semi-conjugate to piecewise linear actions. In addition, we exhibit examples of locally discrete, minimal actions which are not of Fuchsian type.

31 pages, 11 figures. Final version to appear in Comment. Math. Helv. (updated affiliation)