Quasi-conformal variations and local minimality of the Ahlfors-Grunsky function (Q1114034)

The author shows that the Ahlfors-Grunsky function \(F_ 1\), which is conjectured to give the exact value of the Bloch constant, is at least a local minimum for the Bloch constant problem relative to certain variations. For a holomorphic function f in the unit disk \({\mathbb{D}}\) and \(z\in {\mathbb{D}}\), let \(r_ f(z)\) denote the radius of the largest schlicht disk with center f(z) in the Riemann image surface of f. Set \(r_ f=\sup \{r_ f(z):\) \(z\in {\mathbb{D}}\}\). The classical Bloch constant is defined by \({\mathcal B}=\inf r_ f/| f'(0)|\), where the infimum is taken over all functions f holomorphic in \({\mathbb{D}}\) with f'(0)\(\neq 0\). For a complex parameter t (with \(| t|\) sufficiently small) the author constructs a one-parameter family \(\{f_ t\}\) of holomorphic functions on \({\mathbb{D}}\) with \(f_ 0=F_ 1\) and shows that the functional \(r_{f_ t}/f'_ t(0)|\) attains a local minimum at \(t=0\). The one- parameter family is obtained by performing an affine variation of the range of \(F_ 1\) in conjunction with an appropriate quasiconformal automorphism of \({\mathbb{D}}\). Similarly, the author shows that a function \(F_ 2\) constructed by R. M. Robinson and thought to yield the value of the Landau constant actually does give a local minimum in the above sense. Simultaneously, this paper presents a nice treatment of the use of quasiconformal mappings to obtain variational formulas in geometric function theory. In particular, it includes a general nth order variational formula for quasiconformal self-mappings of \({\mathbb{C}}\) that fix 0, 1 and \(\infty\). This is used to give an nth order variational formula for quasiconformal automorphisms of \({\mathbb{D}}\). Also, the method of quasiconformal variation is used to give the second Schiffer variation for a holomorphic, not necessarily univalent, function in \({\mathbb{D}}\).