The Pólya-Chebotarev problem and inverse polynomial images (Q2439814)

The problem under consideration in the paper, known as the Pólya-Chebotarev problem, is to find a continuum (a closed connected set) \(S\) of minimal logarithmic capacity in the complex plane which contains a given set of \(\nu\) distinct points \(c_1,\ldots,c_\nu\). The author shows that sometimes the Pólya-Chebotarev continuum can be displayed as an inverse image of a polynomial (once it is connected). Theorem. Let \(T(z)=\tau z^n+\ldots\) be a complex polynomial of degree \(n\) such that the inverse image \(T^{-1}([-1,1])\) is connected. Suppose that \(c_1,\ldots,c_\nu\) are exactly the simple roots of the equation \(T^2(z)=1\). Then \(S=T^{-1}([-1,1])\) is the Pólya-Chebotarev continuum for \(c_1,\ldots,c_\nu\) with the logarithmic capacity \(\text{cap}\,S=(2| \tau|)^{-1/n}\). The author shows how to construct polynomials with the connected inverse image by solving a certain nonlinear system of equations for the zeros of \(T^2(z)-1\).