Equivalent descriptions of the Loewner energy (Q2326468)

The paper addresses the Loewner energy links with regularized determinants and Teichmüller theory. The chordal Loewner chain formalism states that a simple curve \(\gamma\) from 0 to \(\infty\) in the upper half-plane \(\mathbb H\) of the complex plane \(\mathbb C\) can be parameterized so that the conformal mapping \(g_t:\mathbb H\setminus\gamma[0,t]\to\mathbb H\) is normalized near infinity as \(g_t(z)=z+2t/z+o(1/z)\). Extend \(g_t\) continuously to the tip \(\gamma_t\) of \(\gamma[0,t]\) and define \(W(t):=g_t(\gamma_t)\). The real-valued continuous function \(W\) is the driving function of the chord \(\gamma\) in \((\mathbb H,0,\infty)\). When \(\gamma\) is quite regular, the finite Dirichlet energy is \(\int_0^{\infty}W'(t)^2/2dt\) and is denoted by \(I_{\mathbb H,0,\infty}(\gamma)\). The author prefers to look at a chord from 0 to \(\infty\) in the slit plane \(\Sigma:=\mathbb C\setminus R_+\). Such a chord divides the slit plane into two connected components \(H_1\) and \(H_2\). One can define conformal maps \(h_k\) from \(H_k\) onto a half-plane fixing \(\infty\). Let \(h\) be the map on \(\Sigma\setminus\gamma\) coinciding with \(h_k\) on \(H_k\), \(k=1,2\). In the sequel, \(dz^2\) denotes the Euclidean area measure on \(\mathbb C\). The author proves the following theorem. Theorem 1.1. When \(\gamma\) is a chord from 0 to \(\infty\) in \(\Sigma\) with finite Loewner energy, then \[I_{\Sigma,0,\infty}(\gamma)= \frac{1}{\pi}\int_{\Sigma\setminus\gamma}|\nabla\log|h'(z)||^2dz^2= \frac{1}{\pi}\int_{\Sigma\setminus\gamma}\left|\frac{h''(z)}{h'(z)}\right|dz^2.\] The chord \(\gamma\) in \(\Sigma\) connecting 0 to \(\infty\) is identified with the loop \(\gamma\cup\mathbb R_+\). Then the loop energy of \(\gamma\cup\mathbb R_+\) rooted at \(\infty\) and oriented as \(\gamma\) is equal to the chordal Loewner energy of \(\gamma\) in \((\Sigma,0,\infty)\) denoted by \(I^L\). The counterpart of Theorem 1.1 for loops is Theorem 1.2. Theorem 1.2. If \(\gamma\) is a loop passing through \(\infty\) with finite Loewner energy, then \[I^L(\gamma)=\frac{1}{\pi}\int_{\mathbb C\setminus\gamma}|\nabla\log|h'(z)||^2dz^2,\] where \(h\) maps \(\mathbb C\setminus\gamma\) conformally onto two half-planes and fixes \(\infty\). Let \(N(\gamma,g)\) denote the Neumann jump operator across the Jordan curve \(\gamma\) with a Riemannian metric \(g\). Then the zeta-regularized determinant of \(N(\gamma,g)\) is defined through its zeta-function. Theorem 1.3 expresses \(I^L(\gamma)\) for \(C^{\infty}\) loops with the help of the arclength \(l_g\) of \(\gamma\) and the zeta-regularized determinant of \(N(\gamma,g)\). Finally, the author establishes the equivalence between finite energy curves and Weil-Petersson quasicircles. The universal Teichmüller space \(T(1)\) can be modeled by the homogeneous space \(\text{Möb}(S^1)\setminus QS(S^1)\) that is the group \(QS(S^1)\) of quasisymmetric homeomorphisms of the unit circle \(S^1\) modulo Möbius transformations of \(S^1\), via the welding function of the quasicircle. Denote \(T_0(1)\) the completion of \(\text{Möb}(S^1)\setminus\text{Diff}(S^1)\) under the Weil-Petersoon metric. In Theorem 1.4, it is proved that a Jordan curve \(\gamma\) has finite Loewner energy if and only if \([\gamma]\in T_0(1)\) and \(\pi I^L(\gamma)\) is equal to the universal Liouville action \(\mathbf{S_1}([\gamma])\), the quantity introduced earlier by \textit{L. A. Takhtajan} and \textit{L.-P. Teo} [Weil-Petersson metric on the universal Teichmüller space. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (2006; Zbl 1243.32010)], where \([\gamma]\) is the class of \(\gamma\).