On the maximal dilatation of quasiconformal minimal Lagrangian extensions (Q2334088)

It is a classical problem in quasiconformal Teichmüller theory to find quasisconformal extensions \(f: \mathbb D^2 \to \mathbb D^2\), for the unit disk \(\mathbb D^2\) in \(\mathbb C\), of a quasisymmetric homeomorphism \(\phi:\partial \mathbb D^2 \to \partial \mathbb D^2\) of the circle \(S^1 = \partial \mathbb D^2 = \partial \mathbb H^2\) (i.e., with cross-ratio norm \(||\phi||_{cr} < \infty\)). For example, there are the Beurling-Ahlfors extension, the Douady-Earle extension and, more recently, a harmonic extension (resolving the ``Schoen conjecture'') which is also unique. \textit{F. Bonsante} and \textit{J.-M. Schlenker} [Invent. Math. 182, No. 2, 279--333 (2010; Zbl 1222.53063)] proved the existence and uniqueness of a minimal Lagrangian extension, i.e., of an orientation-preserving diffeomorphism \(f:\mathbb H^2 \to \mathbb H^2\) of the hyperbolic plane which preserves area and such that its graph is a minimal surface in \(\mathbb H^2 \times \mathbb H^2\) (an alternative proof is given in a recent paper by \textit{F. Bonsante} and the present author, [J. Topol. 11, No. 2, 420--468 (2018; Zbl 1396.53094)]. Denoting by \(K(f_\phi)\) the maximal dilatation of the minimal Lagrangian extension \(f_\phi\) of \(f\), the present author proved in a previous paper [J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 21, No. 6, 1855--1913 (2019; Zbl 1415.53045)] the inequality \(\log \, K(f_\phi) \le C ||\phi||_{cr}\), for the cross-ratio norm \(||\phi||_{cr}\) and a universal constant \(C>0\). In the present paper, the author gives constraints on the value of an optimal such constant \(C\) and discusses possible lower inequalities, by studying two explicit 1-parameter families of minimal Lagrangian extensions in terms of maximal dilatation and cross-ratio norm, studying the best possible value of the constant \(C\) for each of these families as \(||\phi||_{cr}\) approaches 0 and \(+\infty\).