On hyperbolically convex functions (Q1589321)

In this interesting paper the authors study the hyperbolically convex functions. A conformal map of the unit disc \({\mathbb D}\) into itself is called hyperbolically convex if \(f({\mathbb D})\) is a hyperbolically convex domain, which means that the non-Euclidean segment between any two points of \(f({\mathbb D})\) also belongs to \(f({\mathbb D})\). One of the main results of this paper is Theorem 2.1: If \(f(z)=\alpha z+\dots\) is hyperbolically convex, then \(\operatorname {Re}[\frac{zf'(z)}{f(z)}]> \frac{1}{2}\) for \(z\in {\mathbb D}\). Using this result, the authors obtain the following consequence, given in Corollary 2.2: If \(f(z)=\alpha z+a_2z^2+a_3z^3+\dots\), then \[ h(z)=z^{-1}f(z)^2=\alpha^2z+2\alpha a_2z^2+(a_2^2+2\alpha a_3)z^3+\dots \] maps \({\mathbb D}\) conformally onto a starlike subdomain of \({\mathbb D}\). On the other hand, applying Corollary 2.2, the authors obtain in Theorem 3.1 the following characterization of hyperbolically convexity in terms of two variables: If \(f(z)=\alpha z+\dots\) is hyperbolically convex, then \[ \operatorname {Re}\frac{\zeta}{z-\zeta}\frac{f(z)-f(\zeta)}{f(\zeta)}>\frac{1}{2}, z,\zeta\in {\mathbb D}. \] Let \(S_f=(f''/f')'-(f''/f')^2/2\) be the Schwarzian derivative of \(f\) and \[ \sigma(\alpha)=\max\{|S_f(0)|: f(z)=\alpha z+\dots \text{hyperbolically convex}\}. \] In Theorem 4.1 the authors show that \(\sigma(\alpha)\leq 3(1-\alpha^4)\) for \(e^{-2}\leq \alpha \leq 1\). Moreover, they conjecture that \(\sigma(\alpha)=2(\alpha^2+\cos{2\theta})\) with \(\alpha=\pi/(2K(\cos\theta))\) and \(K(\kappa)\) is the complete elliptic integral of the first kind. Moreover, several interesting examples of hyperbolically convex functions are also obtained.