Backward orbits and petals of semigroups of holomorphic self-maps of the unit disc (Q1736333)

The authors study the backward invariant set of one-parameter semigroup of holomorphic self-maps of the unit disk $\mathbb D=\{z\in\mathbb C:|z|<1\}$. A holomorphic semigroup $(\phi_t)$ of holomorphic self-maps of $\mathbb D$ with respect to composition is a continuous homomorphism $t\mapsto\phi_t$, $t\geq0$, endowed with the topology of uniform convergence on compacta. If $(\phi_t)$ does not contain elliptic automorphisms of $\mathbb D$, then there exists a unique Denjoy-Wolff point $\tau$ on the closure $\overline{\mathbb D}$ of $\mathbb D$ such that $\phi_t$ converges to the constant map $z\mapsto\tau$. The semigroup $(\phi_t)$ is elliptic if $\tau\in\mathbb D$. If $\tau\in\partial\mathbb D$, then the angular limit $\angle\lim_{z\to\tau}\phi'_t(z)$ is equal to $e^{-\lambda t}$ for some $\lambda\geq0$ called the spectral value of $(\phi_t)$. The semigroup is hyperbolic if $\lambda>0$ and it is parabolic if $\lambda=0$. A point $\sigma\in\partial\mathbb D$ is a boundary fixed point of $(\phi_t)$ if $\angle\lim_{z\to\sigma}\phi_t(z)=\sigma$ for all $t\geq0$. Such point $\sigma$ is a boundary regular fixed point if $\angle\lim_{z\to\sigma}\phi'_t(z)=e^{-\mu t}$, $\mu\in\mathbb R$, for all $t\geq0$, and it is a repelling fixed point when $\mu<0$. In this case, $\mu$ is the repelling spectral value of $(\phi_t)$ at $\sigma$. \par A continuous curve $\gamma:[0,\infty)\to\mathbb D$ is a backward orbit for a semigroup $(\phi_t)$ if, for every $t>0$ and for every $0\leq s\leq t$, $\phi_s(\gamma(t))=\gamma(t-s)$. This $\gamma$ is a regular backward orbit if $\limsup_{t\to+\infty}\omega(\gamma(t),\gamma(t+1))<\infty$ where $\omega(z,w)$ is the hyperbolic distance in $\mathbb D$ of $z,w\in\mathbb D$. For a semigroup $(\phi_t)$, not a group, $\mathcal W:=\bigcap_{t\geq0}\phi_t(\mathbb D)$ is called the backward invariant set of $(\phi_t)$. Each non-empty connected component $\Delta$ of the interior of $\mathcal W$ is a petal for $(\phi_t)$. Such $\Delta$ is a hyperbolic petal if $\partial\Delta$ contains a repelling fixed point of $(\phi_t)$, and $\Delta$ is a parabolic petal, otherwise. The main results in the paper are summarized in the following theorem. \par Theorem 1.1: Let $(\phi_t)$ be a holomorphic semigroup in $\mathbb D$, not an elliptic group, with Denjoy-Wolff point $\tau$. Let $\Delta$ be a petal of $(\phi_t)$. Denote $\overline{\Delta}$ the closure of $\Delta$. Then: \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] $\Delta$ is simply connected and $\tau\in\partial\Delta$. \item[(2)] $\phi_t(\Delta)=\Delta$ and $(\phi_t|_{\Delta})$ is a continuous one-parameter group of $\Delta$. \item[(3)] $\partial\Delta$ is locally connected and, except a very particular case, $\Delta$ is a Jordan domain. \item[(4)] $\overline{\Delta}\setminus\tau$ contains at most one boundary fixed point $\sigma\in\partial\mathbb D$ of $(\phi_t)$. If this is the case, then $\sigma$ is a repelling fixed point of $(\phi_t)$. \item[(5)] If $\Delta$ is parabolic, then $(\phi_t)$ is a parabolic semigroup. \item[(6)] There is a one-to-one correspondence between repelling fixed points of $(\phi_t)$ and hyperbolic petals. \item[(7)] For every $z\in\Delta$, the curve $[0,\infty)\mapsto\phi_{-t}(z)$ is a regular backward orbit for the semigroup. \item[(8)] If $\Delta$ is hyperbolic and $\sigma\in\partial\Delta\setminus\{\tau\}$ is the repelling fixed point of $(\phi_t)$ contained in $\overline{\Delta}$, then, for every $z\in\Delta$, $\lim_{t\to-\infty}\frac{1}{t}\log(1-\overline{\sigma}\phi_t(z))=-\lambda$, where $\lambda<0$ is the repelling spectral value of $(\phi_t)$ at $\sigma$.\end{itemize}