A note on point shift differentials (Q1585565)

Let \(T\) be universal Teichmüller space, that is, the set of normalized quasisymmetric homeomorphisms of the unit circle \(S^1=\partial \Delta\). Let \(V_h[z_0]\) be the variability set of \(z_0\) with respect to \(h\in T\). The authors show that for an arbitrary quasisymmetric map \(h_0\) in \(T\) represented by an extremal quasiconformal self-map \(f_0\) with Beltrami coefficient \(\mu_0\), there is a sequence of quasisymmetric maps \(h_n\) and a sequence of points \(w_n\in (\Delta- V_{h_n}[z_0])\), such that i) \(w_n\to f_0 (z_0)\) ii) \(h_n\) converges to \(h_0\) in Teichmüller's metric and iii) the point-shift differentials determined by the unique extremal representative of the map \(z\mapsto h_n(z)\) for \(z\) on \(\partial\Delta\) and \(z_0\mapsto w_n\) form a Hamilton sequence for \(\mu_0\). The authors first show that for any sequence \(\{h_n\}\) in \(T\) that converges to \(h_0\) and \(w_n\in (\Delta- V_{h_n} [z_0])\) converging to \(w_0\), the point-shift differentials determined \(h_n\) and \(w_n\) form a Hamilton sequence for \(\mu_0\). Then they use an idea of \textit{N. Lakic}, Contemp. Math. 211, 417-432 (1997; Zbl 0957.30014) to construct the sequence \(\{h_n\}\) with the necessary properties.