Some remarks on extremal problems in the theory of conformal mappings (Q2357041)

Given a compact set \(E\) in \(\mathbb{C}\) (or in the Riemann sphere \(\mathbb{S}^2\)), the logarithmic capacity \({E}\) is defined by \[ \text{Cap}(E) = \exp(-\inf_{\mu}I_{\mu}(E)) \] where the infimum is taken over all probability measures \(\mu\) on \(E\) and \(I_{\mu}\) is the energy functional \[ I_{\mu}(E) = \iint_{E\times E} \log{\frac{1}{|u-v|}} \, d\mu(u) \, d\mu(v). \] Recall also that the conformal modulus of a doubly-connected domain \(G\) in \(\mathbb{C}\) (or in \(\mathbb{S}^2\)) is \[ \text{Mod}(G) = \frac1{2\pi}\log{\frac{R}{r}} \] where \(0\leq r < R\) are the radii of an annulus conformally equivalent to \(G\). In the paper under review, the author is concerned with several different extremal problems in conformal analysis and, specifically, minimization problems of the capacity and the conformal modulus. {\parindent=0.7cm \begin{itemize}\item[--] In Section 3, a modified Grötzsch's problem for minimal continua is considered: Given lines \(M_1,\dots,M_n\) (instead of points) not passing through the same point, which continuum intersecting all lines has the smallest capacity? The author proves that there always exists a continuum minimizing the capacity which is a Grötzsch continuum. \item[--] Section 4 gives a short proof of a result of Jenkins: given an ellipse with foci \(z_1,z_2 \in \mathbb{C}\) among all continua containing \(z_1,z_2\) and some point \(z_3\) on the ellipse, the minimal capacity is attained when \(z_3\) is one of the two points of the ellipse with minimal curvature. \item[--] In Section 5, the author shows that if \(z_1,\dots,z_4\) are points on \(S^2\), \(G_1\) is a domain that separates \(z_1,z_2\) from \(z_3,z_4\) and \(G_2\) is a domain that separates \(z_1,z_3\) from \(z_2,z_4\) then, \[ \text{Mod}(G^*) >0, \quad \text{Mod}(G^{**})>0 \quad\text{and}\quad \text{Mod}(G^*)\text{Mod}(G^{**}) \leq 1/4. \] Moreover, the author identifies the points \(z_1,\dots,z_4\) and the domains \(G^*\) and \(G^{**}\) which yield the equality in the last inequality. \item[--] In Section 7, the author considers doubly connected domains relatively schlicht on a certain Riemann surface \(\mathcal{R}\), containing a Jordan curve homotopic to a certain clover leave knot, and identifies the one with the greatest modulus. \end{itemize}} Section 2 contains two lemmas needed for the proofs of the results while Section 8 proposes analogous problems in space \(\mathbb{R}^3\).