Transverse measures to infinite type laminations

Abstract

We study the cone of transverse measures to a fixed geodesic lamination on an infinite type hyperbolic surface. Under simple hypotheses on the metric, we give an explicit description of this cone as an inverse limit of finite-dimensional cones. We study the problem of when the cone of transverse measures admits a base and show that such a base exists for many laminations. Moreover, the base is a (typically infinite-dimensional) simplex (called a Choquet simplex) and can be described explicitly as an inverse limit of finite-dimensional simplices. We show that on any fixed infinite type hyperbolic surface, every Choquet simplex arises as a base for some lamination. We use our inverse limit description and a new construction of geodesic laminations to give other explicit examples of cones with exotic properties.

Finally version, to appear in Commentarii Mathematici Helvetici