Univalent polynomials and Hubbard trees
Kirill Lazebnik, Nikolai Makarov, Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Abstract
We study rational functions <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> of degree <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="d plus 1"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>d</mml:mi> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">d+1</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> such that <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> is univalent in the exterior unit disc, and the image of the unit circle under <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> has the maximal number of cusps ( <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="d plus 1"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>d</mml:mi> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">d+1</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> ) and double points <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="left-parenthesis d minus 2 right-parenthesis"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:mi>d</mml:mi> <mml:mo> − </mml:mo> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">(d-2)</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> . We introduce a bi-angled tree associated to any such <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> . It is proven that any bi-angled tree is realizable by such an <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> , and moreover, <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> is essentially uniquely determined by its associated bi-angled tree. This combinatorial classification is used to show that such <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> are in natural 1:1 correspondence with anti-holomorphic polynomials of degree <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="d"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>d</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">d</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> with <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="d minus 1"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>d</mml:mi> <mml:mo> − </mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">d-1</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> distinct, fixed critical points (classified by their Hubbard trees).