Mappings of finite distortion: size of the branch set (Q2216202)

A continuous, open and discrete (for every \(y\), \(f^{-1}(y)\) has no accumulation point in \(\Omega\)) mapping \(f: \Omega \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^n\) is locally invertible outside its branch set \(B_f\) in \(\Omega\). By the celebrated result of Y. G. Reshetnyak a non-constant quasiregular mapping is continuous, open and discrete, moreover, \(m_n(B_f) = m_n(f(B_f)) =0\). By topological reasons it is also known that \(\mathcal{H}^{n-2}(f(B_f)) > 0\) if \(B_f \neq \emptyset\) and \(\mathcal{H}^{1}(B_f) > 0\) provided that \(n = 3\) and \(B_f \neq \emptyset\), see [the reviewer et al., Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn., Ser. A I 488, 31 p. (1971; Zbl 0223.30018); the reviewer and \textit{S. Rickman}, Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn., Ser. A I 541, 16 p. (1973; Zbl 0265.30027)]. The authors are interested in relaxing the quasiregularity condition and this leads to the class of mappings of finite distortion, i.e., \(f \in W^{1,1}(\Omega, \mathbb{R}^n)\), \(J_f(x) \in L^1(\Omega)\) with \(J_f(x) > 0\) a.e. in the set where \(|D(f(x))| > 0\). For earlier studies on this class of mappings see [\textit{T. Iwaniec} et al., Invent. Math. 144, No. 3, 507--531 (2001; Zbl 1006.30016); \textit{P. Koskela} and \textit{J. Malý}, J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 5, No. 2, 95--105 (2003; Zbl 1025.30019)]. Now, for mappings in this class it is shown that if \(f \in W^{1,n-1}(\Omega, \mathbb{R}^n)\) is continuous, open, discrete and \(K_I(f) \in L^1(\Omega)\), then \(m_n(B_f) = 0\). Here \(K_I(f)\) denotes the pointwise inner dilatation \(|D^I(f(x))|^n/J_f(x)^{n-1}\) (\(= 1\) if \(J_f(x)= 0\) or not determined) of \(f\) and \(D^I(f(x))\) stands for the adjugate matrix of the Jacobian matrix \(J_f(x)\) of \(f\). To the other direction it is shown in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) that there exists a continuous, open and discrete mapping \(f\) of the class \(W^{1,p}\) for all \(p \in (1,2)\) with \(J_f(x) > 0\) a.e. but \(m_3(B_f) > 0\) and \(m_3(f(B_f)) > 0\). If it is not assumed that \(f\) is open and discrete, then stronger assumptions are needed and it is shown that if \(f: \Omega \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^n\), \(n \geq 3\), is of finite distortion with (*) \(\exp(\lambda K_O(f)) \in L^1(\Omega)\) for some \(\lambda > 0\), then \(f\) is continuous, open and discrete. Moreover, \(f\) satisfies the Lusin condition \((N)\) and \(m_n(f(B_f)) = 0\). Here \(K_O(f))\) is the outer pointwise dilatation of \(f\). If the condition (*) is relaxed to \(\exp( K_O^{1-\varepsilon}(f)) \in L^1(\Omega)\) for some \(\varepsilon \in (0,1)\), then an example shows that \(m_n(f(B_f)) > 0\) is possible. The constructions for the examples are rather elaborate but nicely illustrated. There is also a useful discussion on homeomorphisms and bilipschitz maps between Cantor type sets.