Length spectrum compactification of the SL(3,R)-Hitchin component
Length spectrum compactification of the SL(3,R)-Hitchin component
Higher Teichmuller theory studies geometric and dynamical properties of surface groups representations into higher rank Lie groups. One of these higher Teichmuller spaces is the SL(3,R)-Hitchin component, a connected component in the SL(3,R)-character variety that entirely consists of faithful and discrete representations that are the holonomies of convex real projective structures on a surface. In a joint work with Charles Ouyang, inspired by Bonahon's interpretation of Thurston's compactification of Teichmuller space by means of geodesic currents, we describe the length spectrum compactification of the SL(3,R)-Hitchin component. We interpret the boundary points as hybrid geometric structures on a surface that are in part flat and in part laminar.