Variational principles for circle patterns and Koebe’s theorem (Q4433112)

One form of Steinitz's theorem states that for every cellular decomposition of the sphere there is a combinatorially equivalent polyhedron with edges tangent to the sphere. This polyhedron is unique up to projective transformations that fix the sphere. There is a simultaneous realization of the dual polyhedron, such that corresponding edges of the dual and the original polyhedron touch the sphere at the same points and intersect orthogonally. This is a generalization of Koebe's theorem: For every triangulation of the sphere there is a packing of circles on the sphere such that circles correspond to vertices and two circles touch just if the corresponding vertices are adjacent. This circle pattern is unique up to Möbius transformations of the sphere. Here the authors generalize these results about existence and uniqueness of circle patterns further to surfaces of constant curvature which even may have cone-like singularities at the centres of the circles and at the points of their intersection, allowing to prescribe, with restrictions, the angles at which the circles intersect. Considering also surfaces with boundary the authors are able to generalize a theorem of Rivia about ideal hyperbolic polyhedra and an analogue theorem for surfaces with higher genus. The proofs are based on a variational principle with functionals, one for the Euclidean and one for the hyperbolic case, of the radii (and of the cellular surfaces and the prescribed intersection and cone angles). From them functionals used by other researches (Colin de Verdiere, Fragger, Rivia) can be derived.