No label defined (Q4023723)

There are not too many books which treat and make accessible the close relationship between the geometric theory of analytic functions and concrete problems, like boundary value problems for analytic and harmonic functions. The monograph under review, is an attempt in this direction. This book presents a systematic exposition of two major branches of complex function theory, conformal mapping and boundary value problems. The connection between them is discussed in all the chapter. The writing of this book was based on the author's many years of experience in teaching and scientific research at Peking University. The first part of the book (the first three chapters), recount existence and uniqueness theorems of conformal mappings from simply and multiply connected domains to standard domains. Basic results about sequences of analytic and harmonic functions, subharmonic functions, distortion theorems and estimates of coefficients for univalent functions and representations of conformal mappings are also discussed. In the second part (the remaining three chapters), the basic boundary value problems for analytic and harmonic functions are discussed in detail. Integrals of Cauchy type and their limiting values, the Riemann and the Hilbert boundary value problem for analytic functions and mixed problems for analytic and harmonic functions are discussed in Chapter IV. Chapter V contains a good treatment of the Hilbert boundary value problem for analytic functions on multiply connected domains with some new proofs. The basic boundary problems for harmonic functions are introduced and solved in Chapter VI. In the second part, especially in this Chapter VI, some new methods are used. So, the proof of the existence of the solutions for the first boundary value problem for harmonic functions, is based on subharmonic functions. The integral representation of the solutions to the first and second boundary value problem for harmonic functions are proved. Some results obtained by the author concerning a new kind of mixed boundary value problem, irregular oblique derivative boundary value problems for harmonic functions, are also included in the monograph. Two appendices, ``A brief introduction to quasiconformal mappings'' and ``Some connections between integral equations and boundary problems'' make the book easier to read. According to the complexity of the subject of the book and the variety of methods used in both parts of the monograph, the list of References is very poor and not up to date. The references in the text are laconical, referring to the authors of the theorem merely by name without further details. The monograph or part of it are suitable for use as an undergraduate or graduate level textbook. The exercises included at the end of each chapter, are useful for the readers.