We use the known convergence of loop-erased random walk to radial SLE(2) to give a new proof that the scaling limit of loop-erased random walk excursion in the upper half-plane is chordal SLE(2). Our proof relies on a version of Wilson’s algorithm for weighted graphs which is used together with a Beurling-type estimate for random walk excursion. We also establish and use the convergence of the radial SLE path to the chordal SLE path as the bulk point tends to a boundary point. In the final section we sketch how to extend our results to more general simply connected domains.

We construct Coleff–Herrera products and Bochner–Martinelli type residue currents associated with a tuple$f$of weakly holomorphic functions, and show that these currents satisfy basic properties from the (strongly) holomorphic case. This include the transformation law, the Poincaré–Lelong formula and the equivalence of the Coleff–Herrera product and the Bochner–Martinelli type residue current associated with$f$when$f$defines a complete intersection.

For each closed, positive (1,1)-current$ω$on a complex manifold$X$and each$ω$-upper semicontinuous function$φ$on$X$we associate a disc functional and prove that its envelope is equal to the supremum of all$ω$-plurisubharmonic functions dominated by$φ$. This is done by reducing to the case where$ω$has a global potential. Then the result follows from Poletsky’s theorem, which is the special case$ω$=0. Applications of this result include a formula for the relative extremal function of an open set in$X$and, in some cases, a description of the$ω$-polynomial hull of a set.

Let$M$be a compact complex manifold. The corresponding Teichmüller space Teich is the space of all complex structures on$M$up to the action of the group $${{\rm Diff}_0(M)}$$ of isotopies. The mapping class group $${\Gamma:={\rm Diff}(M)/{{\rm Diff}_0(M)}}$$ acts on Teich in a natural way. An$ergodic complex structure$is a complex structure with a $${\Gamma}$$ -orbit dense in Teich. Let$M$be a complex torus of complex dimension $${\ge 2}$$ or a hyperkähler manifold with $${b_2 > 3}$$ . We prove that$M$is ergodic, unless$M$has maximal Picard rank (there are countably many such$M$). This is used to show that all hyperkähler manifolds are Kobayashi non-hyperbolic.

We show that Thurston’s skinning maps of Teichmüller space have finite fibers. The proof centers around a study of two subvarieties of the $${{\rm SL}_2(\mathbb{C})}$$ character variety of a surface—one associated with complex projective structures, and the other associated with a 3-manifold. Using the Morgan–Shalen compactification of the character variety and author’s results on holonomy limits of complex projective structures, we show that these subvarieties have only a discrete set of intersections.