Strebel differentials and Hamilton sequences (Q1609699)

In studying extremal quasiconformal mappings of the unit disc \(D\) onto itself with given boundary values. \textit{K. Strebel}, Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn., Math. 24, No. 2, 475-494 (1998; Zbl 0927.30014)] defined for \(z_0\in D\) the variability set \(V[z_0]\) as the set of image points of \(z_0\) under all such extremal mappings. For \(w_n\not\in V[z_0]\) there will be an extremal Teichmüller mapping \(f_m\) with \(f_m(y_0)\times w_m\) and the given boundary values with associated quadratic differential \(\varphi_m\) of norm 1 which he called a point shift differential. Let \(T(S)\) denote the Teichmüller space of a Riemann surface \(S\) of hyperbolic type viewed as a set of equivalence classes of Beltrami differentials. Strebel considered also a different type of quadratic differential corresponding to points of \(T(S)\) which the author calls Strebel points and Strebel differentials. An extremal Beltrami differential \(\mu\) is characterized by the existence of a sequence \(\{\varphi_n\}\) of holomorphic differentials of norm 1 such that \[ \lim_{n\to\infty} {\mathcal R} \iint_S \mu\varphi_n=\|\mu\|_\infty \] such a sequence is called a Hamilton sequence. The author's principal result is the following: Let \(\tau\in T(S)\) and \(\{\nu_n\}\) be a sequence of Strebel points tending to \(\tau\) with corresponding Strebel differentials \(\varphi_{\nu+n}\). Then for an extremal Beltrami differential \(\mu_0\) at \(\tau\) we have \[ 0\leq \|\mu_0\|_\infty-{\mathcal R} \iint_S\mu_0 \varphi_{\nu_n}\leq 8d_\tau(\nu_n,\tau), \] where \(d_\tau\) denotes the Teichmüller distance. It should be observed that there is some ambiguity in the usage of the term Strebel differential \textit{M. Mulase} and \textit{M. Penkova} [Asian J. Math. 2, No. 4, 875-919 (1998; Zbl 0964.30023)] applied it to a quite different entity which actually had been considered much earlier by the reviewer [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 66, 440-453 (1957; Zbl 0082.06301)] than by Strebel.