Distortion of quasiconformal and quasiregular mappings at extremal points (Q2571468)

Let \(f: \Omega \to {\mathbb R}^n\) be a quasiconformal mapping with \(0 \in \Omega\) and \(f(0) = 0\). If \(K\) denotes the inner dilatation of \(f\), then \(0\) is called a point of maximal stretching if \[ \omega_f(0) = \lim\sup_{t\to 0}L(0,f,t)/t^{K^{-1\over n-1}} > 0 \] where \(L(0,f,t) = \max \{| f(x)| : | x| \leq t\}\). For \(n = 2\) \textit{L. V. Kovalev} [Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn., Math. 29, No.1, 211--222 (2004; Zbl 1060.30026)] proved at the point \(0\) of maximal stretching there is a continuous mapping \(g: (0,\varepsilon) \to {\mathbb R}\) such that \(\lim_{z\to 0} (f(z)/z| z| ^{1/K-1} - \omega_f(0)e^{ig((z))}) = 0\) in complex notation. The author shows that in this situation the infinitesimal space of \(f\) at \(0\) consists of mappings of the type \(g(z) = h(z/| z| )/| z| ^{1/K}\) where \(h\) is a rotation. The infinitesimal space of \(f\) at \(0\) consists of locally uniform limits of the family \(F_{\rho_i}(x) = f(\rho_ix)/\sigma (\rho_i)\) as \(\rho_i \to 0\) where \(\sigma (\rho)\) is the radius of a ball whose measure = \(\text{ meas}\;(f(B(0,\rho)))\), see [\textit{V. Y. Gutlyanskij, O. Martio, V. I. Ryazanov, M. Vuorinen}, Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn., Math. 25, No.1, 101--130 (2000; Zbl 0938.30014)]. The result extends to \({\mathbb R}^n,\;n \geq 3\), but now \(h\) is a homeomorphism of the sphere \(S^{n-1}\) preserving surface measure. Quasiregular mappings are also considered and it is shown that \(H^*(0,f) = 1\) at the point \(0\) of maximal stretching -- in this case the local topological index of \(f\) at \(0\) is taken into account. The proofs make use of the modulus of surface families.