The \(C^\infty\)-convergence of hexagonal disk packings to the Riemann map (Q1267287)

Let \(\Omega\) be a simply connected proper subdomain of the complex plane. The Rodin-Sullivan Theorem states that a sequence of disk packings in the unit disk \(U\) converges, in a well defined sense, to a conformal map from \(\Omega\) onto \(U\). It is known that the first and second derivatives converge also. The authors prove here that for hexagonal disk packings the convergence is \(C^\infty\). The authors begin by defining some Moebius invariants for finite hexagonal disk packings. These are then used to define discrete Schwarzian derivatives, and the Schwarzians of certain packings are shown to be bounded. It is then shown that the discrete Laplacian of the Schwarzians is a polynomial function in the grid size \(\varepsilon\) and the Schwarzians themselves. It is then a consequence of a regularity theorem for discrete elliptic equations that all discrete derivatives of the Schwarzian are locally bounded. The \(C^\infty\) convergence result follows from this.