Local connectivity of some Julia sets containing a circle with an irrational rotation (Q1373009)

Let \(\theta\) denote an irrational number of constant type in \((0,1)\), that is the partial denominators in the continued fraction expansion of \(\theta\) are bounded. Let \(P_\theta(z)= \lambda z+z^2\), where \(\lambda= \exp(2\pi i\theta)\). The main result of the paper is that the Julia set \(J(P_\theta)\) is locally connected and has zero plane Lebesgue measure. The proof is long and intricate. It works with the rational function \(f=f_\theta\), defined by \(f(z)= \rho z^2(z- 3)/(1-3z)\), where \(\rho\in S^1\) is chosen so that the homeomorphism given by the restriction of \(f\) to \(S^1\) has rotation number \(\theta\). There is a homeomorphism \(h\) of \(S^1\) which conjugates \(f\) to the rotation \(R(z)= \lambda z\), and since \(\theta\) has constant type, \(h\) is quasisymmetric and has an extension \(H\) to a quasiconormal map of the unit disc \(D\) to itself. We can define a degree-two branched covering map \(F: \widehat{\mathbb{C}}\to \widehat{\mathbb{C}}\) by \(F=f\) if \(|z|> 1\), \(F=H^{-1}RH\) if \(|z|\leq 1\). This may be said to have a ``Julia set'' \(J(F)= J(f)\setminus \bigcup_{n=0}^\infty f^{-n} (D)\). There is, further, a quasiconformal homeomorphism \(\varphi\) of \(\widehat{\mathbb{C}}\) which conjugates \(F\) to \(P_\theta\), maps \(D\) to the Siegel disc round 0 for \(P_\theta\) and maps \(J(F)\) onto \(J(P_\theta)\). This is the starting point for the paper. The goal is to prove that \(J(F)\) and \(J(f)\) are locally-connected and have measure zero, which implies the same properties for \(J(P_\theta)\). Basic for the proof are the Świątec a priori bounds for the ratios of closest returns of the critical point (here 1) for a circle map with critical point to itself. This is a reason for working with \(f\) rather than \(P_\theta\). Further, the proof hinges on a geometric construction, called a ``puzzle'' by the author, which allows the transference of the a priori (real) bounds to complex bounds for the Julia sets. The methods eventually prove local connectivity of \(J(f)\), first at \(z=1\) and then by further technical arguments to the whole Julia set.