A refinement of the Lindelöf theorem and other applications of the theory of pre-ends (Q1974370)

For a domain \(G\) in \(\mathbb{R}^n\), if \(x,y\in G\), let \(\delta_G(x,y)\) denote the infimum of the Euclidean diameters of all connected subsets of \(G\) containing both points \(x\) and \(y\). A prechain of \(G\) is a sequence of subsets \(\{V_n\}\) of \(G\) where both \(V_{n+1}\subset V_n\) and \(\delta_G(\partial V_n\cap G,\partial V_{n+1}\cap G)> 0\) for all \(n\geq 1\). An equivalence class of prechains in \(G\) is called a pre-end of \(G\). A prime end of \(G\) is a minimal pre-end of \(G\). Denote the set of all prime ends of \(G\) by \(V_0(G)\). By a classical result due to C. Carathéodory, if \(D\) denotes the unit disc and \(f: D\to G\) is a conformal mapping where \(D,G\subset\mathbb{R}^2\), then \(f\) can be extended to a homeomorphism from the closure of \(D\) onto \(G\cup V_0(G)\). This result is not valid, in general, for \(n> 2\), because \(G\cup V_0(G)\) is, in general, not a Hausdorff space using the natural topology. The author indicates how to use pre-ends to create objects called molecules of \(G\) -- and we denote the collection of all molecules of \(G\) by \(M(G)\) -- so that for any two domains \(G_1\) and \(G_2\) in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) and any mapping \(f: G_1\to G_2\) that is a quasi-isometry, the mapping \(f\) can be extended to a homeomorphism from \(G_1\cup M(G_1)\) to \(G_2\cup M(G_2)\), where both of these spaces are Hausdorff spaces. The theorem of Lindelöf referred to in the title states that for a conformal mapping \(f: D\to G\), where \(D\) is the unit disc, \(D,G\subset\mathbb{R}^2\), if \(L: [0,1)\to D\) is a nontangential path in \(D\) then the cluster set of \(f\circ L: [0,1)\to G\) at the boundary point is equal to the set of principle points of the appropriate prime end of \(G\). The author generalizes this result by the use of a technical condition called a \(V_0\)-condition on the curve \(L\). Metrics other than \(\delta_G\) can be used to obtain similar results.