We show how the quantum trace map of Bonahon and Wong can be constructed in a natural way using the skein algebra of Muller, which is an extension of the Kauffman bracket skein algebra of surfaces. We also show that the quantum Teichmüller space of a marked surface, defined by Chekhov–Fock (and Kashaev) in an abstract way, can be realized as a concrete subalgebra of the skew field of the skein algebra.

By studying the theory of rational curves, we introduce a notion of rational simple connectedness for projective homogeneous spaces. As an application, we prove that over a function field of an algebraic surface over an algebraically closed field, a variety whose geometric generic fiber is a projective homogeneous space admits a rational point if and only if the elementary obstruction vanishes.

Let $G$ be a group hyperbolic relative to a finite collection of subgroups ${\mathcal{P}}$. Let ${\mathcal{F}}$ be the family of subgroups consisting of all the conjugates of subgroups in ${\mathcal{P}}$, all their subgroups, and all finite subgroups. Then there is a cocompact model for $E_{{\mathcal{F}}}G$. This result was known in the torsion-free case. In the presence of torsion, a new approach was necessary. Our method is to exploit the notion of dismantlability. A number of sample applications are discussed.

For the group $G=\operatorname{PGL}_{2}$ we perform a comparison between two relative trace formulas: on the one hand, the relative trace formula of Jacquet for the quotient $T\backslash G/T$, where $T$ is a nontrivial torus, and on the other the Kuznetsov trace formula (involving Whittaker periods), applied to nonstandard test functions. This gives a new proof of the celebrated result of Waldspurger on toric periods, and suggests a new way of comparing trace formulas, with some analogies to Langlands’ ‘Beyond Endoscopy’ program.