Hyperbolically Maximal Domains and Fundamental Domains for a Discontinuous Group of Conformal Automorphisms of a Riemann Surface (Q4797010)

Riemann surfaces \(R\) and subdomains \(D\subset R\) carry canonical metrics \(ds_R\) and \(ds_D\) of constant curvature. If \(D\) is a disk of finite radius, then \(ds_D/ds_R\) is constant on concentric circles with \(\partial D\) [\textit{M. Masumoto} and \textit{M. Shiba}, Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 27, 371-379 (1995; Zbl 0840.30027)]. In this paper it is shown that there is a unique \(D\subset R\) which minimizes \((ds_D/ds_R)(p)\) in the class \({\mathcal D}_p(R)\) of all simply connected domains in \(R\) containing a fixed point \(p\in R\). The existence can be dealt with by the Fejér-Riesz method. For the uniqueness results of Jenkins and Strebel are invoked. The corresponding extremal problem for the class \({\mathcal D}_p^\Gamma(R)\) is also studied. Here \(\Gamma\) is a group of conformal automorphisms acting properly discontinuously on \(R\) and \({\mathcal D}_p^\Gamma(R)\) contains all domains \(D\in{\mathcal D}_p(R)\) such that the \(\Gamma\)-images of \(D\) are mutually disjoint. The unique solutions of this problem are called hyperbolically maximal domains. It is shown that they are locally finite fundamental domains for \(\Gamma\) with piecewise analytic boundary. Examples show that these domains are of a different nature from classical ones such as Dirichlet and Ford domains.