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For a conformal bijection $f:D\to \tilde{D}$ between proper planar domains, put $d=\mathrm{dist}(z,\partial D)$ and $\tilde{d}=\mathrm{dist}(f(z),\partial \tilde{D})$. Apply the Koebe quarter theorem to $(f(z+dw)-f(z))/(d{f}^{\prime }(z))$ on the unit disc to obtain $d|f^{\prime }(z)|/4\le \tilde{d}$. Apply it again to $f^{-1}$ to get the opposite bound. Thus $\boxed{\tilde{d}/(4d)\le |f^{\prime }(z)|\le 4\tilde{d}/d}$. The domains need not be simply connected domains. For the whole plane, the boundary distances are infinite and these ratios are undefined.

Before the Loewner swallowing time of $z$, set $Z_t=g_t(z)-U_t=X_t+i{Y}_t$ and ${{\rm Y}}_t=Y_t/|g_t^{\prime }(z)|$. Since the conformal radius of the complex upper half-plane at $Z_t$ is $2Y_t$, the transformation rule gives $2{{\rm Y}}_t={\mathrm{crad}}_{D_t}(z)$. The Koebe quarter theorem and the interior-disc comparison give $\mathrm{dist}(z,\partial D_t)/2\le {{\rm Y}}_t\le 2\mathrm{dist}(z,\partial D_t)$. Differentiating the Chordal Loewner equation gives $\boxed{{\partial }_t\log {{\rm Y}}_t=-4Y_t^2/|Z_t{|}^4}$. Thus this quantity decreases as the remaining domain shrinks.

The Koebe function $k(z)=z/(1-z{)}^2$ is a univalent function from the unit disc onto $\mathbb{C}\setminus (-\infty ,-1/4]$. To see the image, $(1+z)/(1-z)$ maps the disc onto the right half-plane and $k(z)=(((1+z)/(1-z){)}^2-1)/4$. Its normalization $k(0)=0$, $k^{\prime }(0)=1$ proves sharpness of the Koebe quarter theorem.

A normalized univalent function is a holomorphic function on the unit disc which is injective and has the displayed normalization. Its Taylor series begins $z+a_2{z}^2+\cdots$. Normalization makes coefficient bounds and image-size estimates independent of translation and dilation; the Koebe quarter theorem is the sharp universal image bound.

We first derive the exterior area theorem for univalent functions directly from Green's theorem, then obtain the coefficient bound needed for the Koebe quarter theorem.

Suppose $G$ is univalent on $|\zeta |>1$ and has a Laurent seriesFor $R>1$, the image of $R{e}^{it}$, $0\le t\le 2\pi$, is a regular simple closed curve. By the Jordan curve theorem the curve has one bounded and one unbounded complementary component. The image of $|\zeta |>R$ lies in the unbounded component, since it is connected, avoids the curve by injectivity and contains points near infinity. It fills that component: any finite boundary limit of the image has preimages bounded by $G(\zeta )/\zeta \to 1$, and a convergent preimage subsequence must land on $|\zeta |=R$ or else give an interior image point. Thus no boundary of the image lies inside that complementary component. The curve is positively oriented about its bounded interior, since the exterior is on the right of $R{e}^{it}$ and a holomorphic map with nonzero derivative preserves orientation. Green's formula gives its enclosed area asFor completeness, the positive Fourier mode is $R{e}^{it}$ and the negative modes are $b_n{R}^{-n}{e}^{-int}$. On multiplying by the conjugate series and integrating, all unequal-frequency products integrate to zero by Fourier orthogonality. The equal-frequency products give $i{R}^2$ and $-in|b_n{|}^2{R}^{-2n}$, respectively; the constant term gives zero. The Laurent series and its differentiated series converge uniformly on the circle, since $R>1$, so these operations are justified. Nonnegativity of $A_R$ yields $\sum n|b_n{|}^2{R}^{-2n}\le R^2$. Letting $R\downarrow 1$, or first doing so for every finite partial sum, givesNo regularity of the map on the unit circle has been assumed.

Now let $f(z)=z+a_2{z}^2+\cdots$ be a normalized univalent function. Its only zero is at zero, so $f(z)/z$, extended there by the value one, is holomorphic and nowhere zero. On the simply connected disc it has a holomorphic square root with value one at zero. Its odd square-root transform isThis is an odd function which is holomorphic and normalized. It is also univalent: $h(z)=h(w)$ gives $f(z^2)=f(w^2)$ and hence $z=\pm w$. If $z=-w$, oddness gives $h(z)=-h(z)$, so $h(z)=0$, forcing $z=w=0$. Thus $G(\zeta )=1/h(1/\zeta )$ is univalent on the exterior disc, with expansionApplying the area bound to its first negative coefficient proves the second coefficient bound for normalized univalent functions, $|a_2|\le 2$.

Let $w_0$ be any point omitted by $f$. It is nonzero. Postcomposition with a Möbius map gives another normalized univalent functionwhose denominator does not vanish. Applying the second coefficient bound both to $f$ and to $f_{w_0}$ givesEvery omitted point therefore has modulus at least $1/4$, provingThis establishes the Koebe quarter theorem from the allowed area formula.

Sharpness is witnessed by the Koebe function $k(z)=z/(1-z{)}^2$. It has the required value and derivative at zero. The equality $k(z)=k(w)$ simplifies to $(z-w)(1-zw)=0$, and $|zw|<1$ makes it injective. Moreover,Thus $-1/4$ is omitted, so no larger universal radius is possible. In fact $4k(z)+1=((1+z)/(1-z){)}^2$ shows its image is the plane slit along $(-\infty ,-1/4]$.

Without univalence take a real $\lambda >4$ andIt is entire, with $f_{\lambda }(0)=0$ and $f_{\lambda }^{\prime }(0)=1$, but it omits $-1/\lambda$, a point of modulus less than $1/4$, since the exponential never vanishes. It is genuinely not univalent on the disc: the distinct points $\pm \pi i/\lambda$ lie there and both give exponential value $-1$. Even its derivative never vanishes, illustrating why local conformality alone does not give the quarter-disc inclusion.

The Koebe quarter theorem says that if $F:\mathbb{D}\to \mathbb{C}$ is a univalent function with $F(0)=0$ and $F^{\prime }(0)=1$, thenEquivalently, an arbitrary univalent function $f$ on the unit disc has $B(f(0),|f^{\prime }(0)|/4)\subseteq f(\mathbb{D})$. The constant cannot be increased: the Koebe function $F(w)=w/(1-w{)}^2$ omits the ray $(-\infty ,-1/4]$.

Assume the domains are proper, so $d$ and $\tilde{d}$ are finite and positive, and interpret the conformal transformation as a bijection. Apply the Koebe quarter theorem toThe open ball $B(z,d)$ lies in $D$, so $F$ is a normalized univalent function. Its image inclusion shows that $B(\tilde{z},d|f^{\prime }(z)|/4)\subseteq \tilde{D}$. Therefore $d|f^{\prime }(z)|/4\le \tilde{d}$, or $|f^{\prime }(z)|\le 4\tilde{d}/d$.

Apply the same argument to the inverse conformal map, whose derivative at $\tilde{z}$ is $1/f^{\prime }(z)$. It gives $\tilde{d}/(4|f^{\prime }(z)|)\le d$. Thus the boundary-distance derivative bound for a conformal bijection isThe full domains need not be simply connected domains: only the two interior discs are used. If the whole plane is allowed as a domain, a conformal bijection onto another plane domain is affine and both domains are the whole plane. For example, $D=\tilde{D}=\mathbb{C}$ and $f(z)=z$ make both boundary distances infinite and the printed ratios $\infty /\infty$ undefined. This is a necessary proper-domain convention. Bijectivity also matters: the injective conformal map $f(w)=w/8$ from the unit disc into itself has $d=\tilde{d}=1$ at zero but $|f^{\prime }(0)|=1/8<1/4$. Thus an interpretation allowing a map into, rather than onto, the second domain makes the lower bound false.

Use the Chordal Loewner equation ${\partial }_t{g}_t=2/(g_t-U_t)$ with $U_t=\sqrt{\kappa }{B}_t$. For a fixed $z\in \mathbb{H}$, let $T_z$ be its Loewner swallowing time, and write $Z_t=X_t+i{Y}_t=g_t(z)-U_t$ and $J_t=|g_t^{\prime }(z)|$ before that time. The Loewner conformal radius is ${{\rm Y}}_t=Y_t/J_t$, half of the conformal radius of $D_t=\mathbb{H}\setminus K_t$ at $z$. The Koebe quarter theorem bounds the conformal radius above by four times the distance to the boundary. For the reverse comparison, if $\varphi :\mathbb{D}\to D_t$ maps zero to $z$, apply the Schwarz lemma to ${\varphi }^{-1}(z+dw)$ on the unit disc, where $d=\mathrm{dist}(z,\partial D_t)$; it gives $d\le |{\varphi }^{\prime }(0)|$. ThusWe use the basic trace theorems that, for $\kappa >8$, the Loewner trace is continuous and Transience of chordal SLE gives $|\gamma (t)|\to \infty$. These facts make its image relatively closed in $\mathbb{H}$; they do not assume the space-filling conclusion. The continuity and transience statements are available in Rohde and Schramm's basic trace theorems.

Take $\rho =\kappa -8>0$ in the supplied SLE interior-point martingale. The derivative exponent vanishes, leavingA nonnegative local martingale is a supermartingale. Applying the optional stopping theorem after localization at its first hit of a level $R$ gives the maximal inequality for a nonnegative supermartingaleThus $C={\sup }_{t<T_z}{M}_t<\infty$ almost surely.

Suppose the Loewner trace avoids some open ball $B(z,r)$ whose closure is inside $\mathbb{H}$. Before $T_z$, the whole open ball is in $D_t$: a connected open ball disjoint from the trace cannot be partly in the unbounded connected component. Hence ${{\rm Y}}_t\ge r/2$. The bound on $M$ forces $S_t\ge c>0$ throughout this interval, for a positive random constant $c$.

The Chordal Loewner equation and its derivative yieldThe first identity forces $T_z<\infty$, since otherwise $Y_t^2\le Y_0^2-4c^{2}t$ becomes negative. At a finite maximal lifetime, $Y_t\to 0$; otherwise the continuous Loewner driving function and the ordinary differential equation continue past that time. Integrating the last identity, using $S_t\ge c$, givescontradicting ${{\rm Y}}_t\ge r/2$. Thus every fixed rational ball inside $\mathbb{H}$ is hit almost surely. A countable intersection makes the trace a dense subset almost surely, and its relatively closed image, established by continuity and transience, then contains all of $\mathbb{H}$:This proves space-filling SLE above parameter eight. It rules out unvisited open regions, rather than inferring visits merely from membership in the filled compact H-hulls. The choice $\rho =\kappa -8$ does not address the critical value eight.

Before the Loewner swallowing time $T_z$, put $Z_t=g_t(z)-U_t=X_t+i{Y}_t$ and ${\theta }_t=\arg Z_t\in (0,\pi )$. The Itô formula applied to the holomorphic logarithm in the complex upper half-plane givesTaking imaginary parts yields the SLE angle processFor $\kappa =4$ the drift vanishes, sois a continuous local martingale. Since $0<{\theta }_t<\pi$, every localized stopped version is a bounded true martingale. After resolving the lifetime issue below, the dominated convergence theorem applied to conditional expectations removes localization and gives a true bounded martingale.

For completeness, there is no finite lifetime ambiguity for a fixed interior $z$ in this parameter range. The preceding Bessel process and Conformal Markov property of SLE argument gives a simple trace staying in the interior, so no point is swallowed in a disconnected pocket. If $T_z$ were finite, the trace would have to reach $z$, forcing the Loewner conformal radius to tend to zero by the Koebe quarter theorem. ButThe Dambis-Dubins-Schwarz theorem says that a bounded continuous local martingale cannot have infinite quadratic variation before a finite terminal time: that would require a Brownian motion to stay in a bounded interval for all clock times. Therefore ${{\rm Y}}_t$ cannot tend to zero at a finite $T_z$, a contradiction. Thus $T_z=\infty$ almost surely for each fixed $z$. This proves the SLE4 angle martingale assertion: the angle is a bounded continuous martingale. In particular $\mathbb{E}[{\theta }_t]=\arg z$. The upper-half-plane branch of the argument is used throughout.

The odd square-root transform of a normalized univalent function has reciprocal exterior expansion $1/h(1/\zeta )=\zeta -(a_2/2){\zeta }^{-1}+\cdots$. Its first negative Laurent coefficient has modulus at most one by the area theorem for univalent functions, proving the bound. If $w$ is omitted by $f$, the normalized map $wf/(w-f)$ has second coefficient $a_2+1/w$. Applying the bound twice gives $|1/w|\le 4$, the Koebe quarter theorem.