On convergence of Thurston's iteration for transcendental entire functions with infinite post-singular set

Abstract: Given an entire function $f_0$ with finitely many singular values, one can construct a quasiregular function $f$ by post-composing $f_0$ with a quasiconformal map equal to identity on some open set $U\ni\infty$. It might happen that the $f$-orbits of all singular values of $f$ are eventually contained in $U$. The goal of this article is to investigate properties of Thurston's pull-back map $\sigma$ associated to such $f$, especially in the case when $f$ is post-singularly infinite, that is, when $\sigma$ acts on an infinite-dimensional Teichm\"uller space $\mathcal{T}$. The main result yields sufficient conditions for existence of a $\sigma$-invariant set $\mathcal{I}\subset\mathcal{T}$ such that its projection to the subspace of $\mathcal{T}$ associated to marked points in $\mathbb{C}\setminus U$ is bounded in the Teichm\"uller metric, while the projection to the subspace associated to the marked points in $U$ (generally there are infinitely many) is a small perturbation of identity. The notion of a fat spider'' is defined and used as a dynamically meaningful way define coordinates in the Teichm\"uller space. The notion ofasymptotic area property'' for entire functions is introduced. Roughly, it requires that the complement of logarithmic tracts in $U$ degenerates fast as $U$ shrinks. A corollary of the main result is that for a finite order entire function, if the degeneration is fast enough and singular values of $f$ escape fast, then $f$ is Thurston equivalent to an entire function.