Backward SLE and the symmetry of the welding (Q267018)

For \(\lambda\in C([0,T))\), the forward chordal Loewner equation is \[ \partial_tg_t(z)=\frac{2}{g_t(z)-\lambda(t)},\;\;g_0(z)=z,\;\;g_t(\infty)=\infty, \] and the backward chordal Loewner equation is \[ \partial_tf_t(z)=\frac{-2}{f_t(z)-\lambda(t)},\;\;f_0(z)=z\in\mathbb H=\{z:\mathrm{Im}\;z>0\}. \] Assume \(f_t(\infty)=\infty\) for all \(t\in[0,T)\). The backward chordal Loewner maps \(f_t\) and hulls \(L_t=\mathbb H\setminus f_t(\mathbb H)\) are driven by \(\lambda\). If for every \(t_0\in[0,T)\), \(\lambda(t_0-t)\), \(0\leq t\leq t_0\), generates a forward chordal trace denoted by \(\beta_{t_0}(t_0-t)\), then \(\lambda\) generates backward chordal traces \(\beta_{t_0}\), \(0\leq t_0<T\). The backward chordal Schramm-Loewner evolution \(\mathrm{SLE}_{\kappa}\), \(\kappa>0\), is defined by solving the backward chordal Loewner equation with \(\lambda(t)=\sqrt{\kappa}B(t)\), \(0\leq t<\infty\), where \(B(t)\) stands for a standard real Brownian motion. The authors are largely concerned with chordal \(\mathrm{SLE}_{\kappa}\), i.e., with a family of random curves \(\gamma\) joining 0 and \(\infty\) in the closure \(\overline{\mathbb H}\) of \(\mathbb H\). The reversibility property means that the law of \(\gamma\) is invariant under the automorphism \(z\mapsto-\frac{1}{z}\) of \(\mathbb H\), modulo time parametrization. The backward chordal \(\mathrm{SLE}_{\kappa}\) generates curves \(\beta_T=\beta[0,T]\) whose law is that of the chordal SLE trace \(\gamma[0,T]\) up to translation by \(\sqrt{\kappa}B_T\). These curves are simple when \(\kappa\leq4\), and each point of \(\beta\) except for the endpoints corresponds to two points on the real axis under \(f_t\). The conformal welding homeomorphism \(\phi\) of \(\beta_T\) is the auto-homeomorphism of the interval \(f_T^{-1}(\beta_T)\) that interchanges these two points. In the paper, the authors discuss how backward Loewner processes are transformed by conformal maps. They present and prove certain commutation relations. In the last section, the authors prove the invariance of the welding in the following main theorem. Theorem 1.1. Let \(\kappa\in(0,4]\), and \(\phi\) be a backward chordal \(\mathrm{SLE}_{\kappa}\) welding. Let \(h(z)=-\frac{1}{z}\). Then \(h\circ\phi\circ h\) has the same distribution as \(\phi\). As a consequence, the authors state the reversibility of the backward chordal \(\mathrm{SLE}_{\kappa}\) for \(\kappa\in(0,4)\) in terms of \(\beta\), \[ \beta(t):=\lim_{\mathbb H\ni z\to\lambda(t)}g_t^{-1}(z)\in\overline{\mathbb H}. \] For \(\kappa\in(0,4]\), the backward chordal \(\mathrm{SLE}_{\kappa}\) almost surely generates a normalized global backward chordal trace \(\beta\) called a normalized global backward chordal \(\mathrm{SLE}_{\kappa}\) trace. The normalization conditions imply that \(\beta(0)=\lambda(0)\) and \(\beta\) does not pass through \(\lambda(0)+i\). Theorem 1.2. Let \(\kappa\in(0,4)\), and \(\beta\) be a normalized global backward chordal \(\mathrm{SLE}_{\kappa}\) trace. Let \(h(z)=-\frac{1}{z}\). Then \(h(\beta\setminus\{0\})\) has the same distribution as \(\beta\setminus\{0\}\) as random sets. In other cases, the authors propose some questions.