preprint-author: 
A. Epstein and M. Yampolsky
preprint-title: 
Geography of the Cubic Connectedness Locus I: Intertwining Surgery
preprint-abstract: 

We exhibit products of Mandelbrot sets in the two-dimensional complex parameter space of cubic polynomials. These products were observed by J. Milnor in computer experiments which inspired Lavaurs' proof of non local-connectivity for the cubic connectedness locus. Cubic polynomials in such a product may be renormalized to produce a pair of quadratic maps. The inverse construction is an $\textit {intertwining surgery}$ on two quadratics. The idea of intertwining first appeared in a collection of problems edited by Bielefeld. Using quasiconformal surgery techniques of Branner and Douady, we show that any two quadratics may be intertwined to obtain a cubic polynomial. The proof of continuity in our two-parameter setting requires further considerations involving ray combinatorics and a pullback argument.

preprint-year: 
1996