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A vector space over the field of complex numbers. A complex-linear map preserves addition and multiplication by complex scalars.

The analogous flat-coordinate construction does not define a full ${\mathrm{SL}}_2(\mathbb{R})$ action on arbitrary cubic differentials. Away from zeros, a nonzero holomorphic cubic differential has flat coordinatesTheir changes of coordinate are $w_j=\zeta w_i+b_{ij}$ with ${\zeta }^3=1$. A branch change is therefore a rotation through $2\pi /3$, not merely a sign. Applying a real-linear map $A$ changes its linear part to $AR{A}^{-1}$, where $R$ is that rotation. In general this is not a complex-linear map, so the proposed changes of coordinate are not holomorphic and cannot define the required deformed complex structure.

For example, take $A=\mathrm{diag}(2,1/2)$ and $R=\left(\begin{array}{cc}\cos \theta & -\sin \theta \\ \sin \theta & \cos \theta \end{array}\right)$ with $\theta =2\pi /3$. Thenwhose off-diagonal entries fail the condition for a complex-linear map. This dependence on the choice of cube-root coordinate is the obstruction even when considering descent from the locus $c={\omega }^3$: the three possible roots need not lead to the same deformation of the cubic pair.

The real matrices preserving orientation that normalize the order-three rotations are precisely the matrices of complex-linear maps; intersecting with ${\mathrm{SL}}_2(\mathbb{R})$ leaves $\mathrm{SO}(2)$. Indeed a nonreal rotation determines its complex structure, and conjugation to its inverse would reverse that structure's orientation. Thus there is a natural rotation action,The conclusion concerns the geometric group action analogous to that for translation surfaces and half-translation surfaces; it does not rule out artificial group actions unrelated to these atlases.