Quasiconformal extensions, Loewner chains, and the \(\lambda \)-lemma (Q1755670)

The authors generalize Becker's sufficient condition for quasiconformal extendibility of Loewner chains and characterize all quasiconformal extensions produced by Becker's construction. For \(k\in[0,1)\), a \(k\)-quasiconformal map of a domain \(U\subset\overline{\mathbb C}\) is a homeomorphism \(F\to\overline{\mathbb C}\) in the Sobolev class \(W_{\text{loc}}^{1,2}\) such that \(|\overline{\partial}F|\leq k|\partial F|\) for a.e. \(z\in U\) with \[\partial=\frac{1}{2}\Big(\frac{\partial}{\partial x}-i\frac{\partial}{\partial y}\Big),\quad\overline{\partial}=\frac{1}{2}\Big(\frac{\partial}{\partial x}+i\frac{\partial}{\partial y}\Big).\] Every \(k\)-quasiconformal map \(F\) is a solution to the Beltrami equation \(\overline{\partial}F(z)=\mu_F(z)\partial F(z)\) for a.e. \(z\), where \(\mu_F\), \(\text{ess}\sup|\mu_F|\leq k\), is the complex dilatation of \(F\). Denote \(\mathbb D=\{z:|z|<1\}\). A holomorphic map \(f:\mathbb D\to\mathbb C\) is \(k\)-quasiconformally extendible to \(\mathbb C\) if there is a \(k\)-quasiconformal map \(F:\mathbb C\to\mathbb C\) such that \(F|_{\mathbb D}=f\). Becker's condition relates to the class \(S\) of all conformal mappings \(f:\mathbb D\to\mathbb C\), \(f(0)=0\), \(f'(0)=1\). Let \(S_k\) be the class of functions \(f\in S\) admitting \(k\)-quasiconformal extensions \(F:\mathbb C\to\mathbb C\) with \(F(\infty)=\infty\), and let Becker's class \(S_k^B\subset S_k\) consist of functions \(f(z)=\lim_{t\to\infty}e^tw(z,t)\), where \(w\) is a solution to the Loewner-Kufarev ODE \[ \frac{dw}{dt}=-wp(w,t),\;\;p(0,t)=1,\;\;t\geq0,\;\; w(z,0)=z\in\mathbb D, \] \(p(w,t)\) is measurable in \(t\), holomorphic in \(w\in\mathbb D\) with \[ p(\mathbb D,t)\subset U(k):=\left\{w\in\mathbb C:\frac{|w-1|}{|w+1|}\leq k\right\}\;\text{for a.e.}\;t\geq0. \] Theorem 2. Let \(k\in[0,1)\) and let \(F:\overline{\mathbb C}\to\overline{\mathbb C}\), \(F(\infty)=\infty\), be a \(k\)-quasiconformal extension of some function \(f\in S\). The following assertions hold: \begin{itemize} \item[(I)] \(F\) is a Becker extension of \(f\) if and only if the complex dilatation \(\mu_F\) of \(F\) obeys the property: for a.e. \(\rho>1\) the map \(\partial\mathbb D\ni\zeta\mapsto\mu_F(\rho\zeta)\) represents boundary values of some bounded holomorphic function \(\varphi_{\rho}\) in \(\mathbb D\). \item[(II)] If \(F\) is a Becker extension of \(f\), then the Loewner chain \((f_t)\) associated with \(F\) satisfies the Loewner-Kufarev equation \[ \frac{\partial f_t(z)}{\partial t}=zf'_t(z)p(z,t),\;\;t\geq0,\;\;z\in\mathbb D, \] where \[ p(z,t):=\frac{1+\varphi_{e^t}(z)/z^2}{1-\varphi_{e^t}(z)/z^2},\;\;z\in\mathbb D,\;\;\text{a.e.}\;t\geq0. \] \end{itemize} In particular, \(p\) satisfies Becker's condition in the definition of the class \(S_k^B\). It is shown in the paper that \(S_k^B\neq S_k\). The final section is devoted to a brief discussion on an auxiliary question concerning the range \(L[(f_t)]:=\cup_{t\geq0}f_t(\mathbb D)\) for the Loewner chains \((f_t)\).