The geometry of open continuous mappings having two valences between Riemann surfaces

Abstract

An open continuous function from an open Riemann surface with finite genus and finite number of boundary components into a closed Riemann surface is termed a (p, q)-map, 0 < q < p, if it has a finite number of branch points and assumes every point in the image surface either p or q times, counting multiplicity, with possibly a finite number of exceptions.The object of this paper is to prove that the geometry of any (p, q)-map resembles that of a (p, q)-map whose q-set (the set of image points of f that are taken on exactly q times, counting multiplicity), constitutes a finite set of Jordan arcs or curves (loops). This leads to interesting geometrie results regarding (p, q)-maps without exceptional points. Further, it yields that every (p, q)-map is homotopic to a simplicial (p, q)-map having the same covering properties.