A simpler proof of Mirzakhani's simple curve asymptotics

Abstract

Maryam Mirzakhani (in her doctoral dissertation) has proved the author's conjecture that the number of simple curves of length bounded by L on a hyperbolic surface S is assymptotic to a constant times L to the power d, where d is the dimension of the Teichmuller space of S. In this note we clarify and simplify Mirzakhani's argument.