Bloch's theorem in the context of quaternion analysis (Q1930681)

The classical theorem of \textit{A. Bloch} [Annales Toulouse (3) 17, 1--22 (1925; JFM 52.0324.02)] states that if \(f\) is a holomorphic function on a region that contains the closed unit disk \(| z | \leq 1\) such that \(f(0) = 0\) and \(| f'(0) | = 1\), then the image domain contains discs of radius \(\frac{3}{2} - \sqrt{2} > \frac{1}{12}\). The optimal value is known as Bloch's constant and \(\frac{1}{12}\) is not the best possible. In this paper a direct generalization of Bloch's theorem to three-dimensional Euclidean space in the framework of quaternion analysis is given. One considers monogenic functions defined in a ball \(B_r\) of radius \(r\) in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) centered at the origin, taking values in the reduced quaternions \(\mathcal {A}:= \mathrm{span}_{\mathbb{R}}\{ 1, i, j \}\) (identified with \(\mathbb{R}^3\)). A function is called monogenic if it is a nullsolution of the generalized Cauchy-Riemann operator \(D = \partial_{x_0} + i \partial_{x_1} + j \partial_{x_2}\). This class of functions coincides with the solutions of the well-known Riesz system and shows more analogies to complex holomorphic functions than the more general class of quaternion-valued monogenic functions. The quaternionic version of Bloch's theorem obtained in this paper says that, if the hypercomplex derivative \(\left( \frac{1}{2} \overline{D} \right)f\) of an in \(B_r\) defined \(\mathcal{A}\)-valued monogenic function \(f\) at the origin is normalized to \(1\), then there is an open subset of the unit ball that \(f\) maps one-to-one onto some open ball of radius at least \(R\), \(R\) given by \(\frac{1}{120} - \frac{31096}{20511149} \sqrt{3} > \frac{1}{150}\). Here \(\overline{D}\) denotes the quaternion conjugate of \(D\), given by \(\overline{D} = \partial_{x_0} - i \partial_{x_1} - j \partial_{x_2}\). In the proof of the above result, which closely follows the proof of the classical theorem of Bloch given by \textit{T. Estermann} [in: Stud. Pure Math., Papers Presented to Richard Rado on the Occasion of his sixty-fifth Birthday, 101--106 (1971; Zbl 0215.42001)], certain estimates are obtained for the Fourier coefficients of an \(\mathcal{A}\)-valued monogenic function in terms of the growth of the maximum modulus of its hypercomplex derivative.