Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2010 / iii / Paper 27 / 1 / b / Solution

We use the following standard planar Brownian motion facts: its exit probability distribution is harmonic measure; conformal maps preserve that probability distribution after an increasing time change; and the Poisson kernel for the upper half-plane gives its real-boundary exit density. For rough hulls the boundary is interpreted through prime ends, with boundary correspondence at harmonic-measure-almost every exit point. This avoids imposing a smoothness or local-connectedness assumption on $K$.

Under $g_K$, the exit event through $K$ corresponds to a measurable set $E_K\subset \mathbb{R}$ of boundary images. It is bounded: the mapping-out function extends by Schwarz reflection along the real line outside a sufficiently large interval enclosing $K$, and its boundary near infinity corresponds to the original real boundary near infinity. All prime ends representing $K$ therefore have images in a bounded interval. The boundary correspondence assertion can equivalently be formulated using the almost-everywhere limits of $g_K^{-1}$; changing null sets does not change $E_K$'s measure.

Write $g_K(iy)=u_y+i{v}_y$. The hydrodynamic normalization at infinity gives $u_y=O(y^{-2})$ and $v_y=y-a_K/y+O(y^{-2})$. By conformal invariance of planar Brownian motion and the Poisson kernel for the upper half-plane,On the bounded set $E_K$, the integrand multiplied by $y$ tends uniformly to one. Therefore the limit exists and is finite:This is the harmonic capacity from infinity in the upper half-plane with the normalization $c(K)=\mathrm{cap}(K)/\pi$; it is different from half-plane capacity. If real boundary points are retained in the definition of $K$, include their boundary images in $E_K$ as well; the argument is unchanged.

For the scaling statement, Brownian scaling says that $r^{-1}{B}_{r^{2}t}$ started from $iy/r$ is again standard planar Brownian motion. The exit event scales with the hull, soSet $v=y/r$, multiply by $y=rv$ and take the limit. It follows thatThe same conclusion follows geometrically from $E_{rK}=r{E}_K$ and the formula above.