# Rigidity of 𝐶² infinitely renormalizable unimodal maps

## 1. Introduction

It was already clear more than 20 years ago, from the work of Coullet-Tresser and Feigenbaum, that the small scale geometric properties of the orbits of some one dimensional dynamical systems were related to the dynamical behavior of a non-linear operator, the renormalization operator, acting on a space of dynamical systems. This conjectural picture was mathematically established for some classes of analytic maps by Sullivan, McMullen and Lyubich. Here we will extend this description to the space of $`C^2`$ maps and prove a rigidity result for a class of unimodal maps of the interval. As it is well-known, a unimodal map is a smooth endomorphism of a compact interval that has a unique critical point which is a turning point. Such a map is renormalizable if there exists an interval neighborhood of the critical point such that the first return map to this interval is again a unimodal map, and the return time is greater than one. The map is infinitely renormalizable if there exist such intervals with arbitrarily high return times. We say that two maps have the same combinatorial type if the map that sends the i-th iterate of the critical point of the first map into the i-th iterate of the critical point of the second map, for all $`i0`$, is order preserving. Finally, we say that the combinatorial type of an infinitely renormalizable map is bounded if the ratio of any two consecutive return times is uniformly bounded.

A unimodal map $`f`$ is $`C^r`$ with a quadratic critical point if $`f=\varphi _fp\psi _f`$, where $`p(x)=x^2`$ and $`\varphi _f`$, $`\psi _f`$ are $`C^r`$ diffeomorphisms. Let $`c_f`$ be the critical point of $`f`$. In this paper we will prove the following rigidity result.

###### Theorem 1.

Let $`f`$ and $`g`$ be $`C^2`$ unimodal maps with a quadratic critical point which are infinitely renormalizable and have the same bounded combinatorial type. Then there exists a $`C^{1+\alpha }`$ diffeomorphism $`h`$ of the real line such that $`h(f^i(c_f))=g^i(h(c_g))`$ for every integer $`i0`$.

We observe that in Theorem 1 the Hölder exponent $`\alpha >0`$ depends only upon the bound of the combinatorial type of the maps $`f`$ and $`g`$. Furthermore,as we will see in Section 2, the maps $`f`$ and $`g`$ are smoothly conjugated to $`C^2`$ normalized unimodal maps $`F=\varphi _Fp`$ and $`G=\varphi _Gp`$ with critical value $`1`$, and the Hölder constant for the smooth conjugacy between the normalized maps $`F`$ and $`G`$ depends only upon the combinatorial type of $`F`$ and $`G`$, and upon the norms $`\varphi _F_{C^2}`$ and $`\varphi _G_{C^2}`$.

The conclusion of the above rigidity theorem was first obtained by McMullen in  under the extra hypothesis that $`f`$ and $`g`$ extend to quadratic-like maps in neighborhoods of the dynamical intervals in the complex plane. Combining this last statement with the complex bounds of Levin and van Strien in , we get the existence of a $`C^{1+\alpha }`$ map $`h`$ which is a conjugacy along the critical orbits for infinitely renormalizable real analytic maps with the same bounded combinatorial type. We extended this result to $`C^2`$ unimodal maps in Theorem 1, by combining many results and ideas of Sullivan in  with recent results of McMullen in , in , and of Lyubich in  on the hyperbolicity of the renormalization operator $`R`$ (see the definition of $`R`$ in the next section). A main lemma used in the proof of Theorem 1 is the following:

###### Lemma 2.

Let $`f`$ be a $`C^2`$ infinitely renormalizable map with bounded combinatorial type. Then there exist positive constants $`\eta <1`$, $`\mu `$ and $`C`$, and a real quadratic-like map $`f_n`$ with conformal modulus greater than or equal to $`\mu `$, and with the same combinatorial type as the $`n`$-th renormalization $`R^nf`$ of $`f`$ such that

$$R^nff_n_{C^0}<C\eta ^n$$

for every $`n0`$.

We observe that in this lemma, the positive constants $`\eta <1`$ and $`\mu `$ depend only upon the bound of the combinatorial type of the map $`f`$. For normalized unimodal maps $`f`$, the positive constant $`C`$ depends only upon the bound of the combinatorial type of the map $`f`$ and upon the norm $`\varphi _f_{C^2}`$.

This lemma generalizes a Theorem of Sullivan (transcribed as Theorem 4 in Section 2) by adding that the map $`f_n`$ has the same combinatorial type as the $`n`$-th renormalization $`R^nf`$ of $`f`$.

Now, let us describe the proof of Theorem 1 which also shows the relevance of Lemma 2: let $`f`$ and $`g`$ be $`C^2`$ infinitely renormalizable unimodal maps with the same bounded combinatorial type. Take $`m`$ to be of the order of a large but fixed fraction of $`n`$, and note that $`nm`$ is also a fixed fraction of $`n`$. By Lemma 2, we obtain a real quadratic-like map $`f_m`$ exponentially close to $`R^mf`$, and a real quadratic-like map $`g_m`$ exponentially close to $`R^mg`$. Then we use Lemma 6 of Section 2.2 to prove that the renormalization $`(nm)`$-th iterates $`R^nf`$ of $`R^mf`$, and $`R^ng`$ of $`R^mg`$ stay exponentially close to the $`(nm)`$-th iterates $`R^{nm}f_m`$ of $`f_m`$ and $`R^{nm}g_m`$ of $`g_m`$, respectively. Again, by Lemma 2, we have that $`f_m`$ and $`g_m`$ have conformal modulus universally bounded away from zero, and have the same bounded combinatorial type of $`R^mf`$ and $`R^mg`$. Thus, by the main result of McMullen in , the renormalization $`(nm)`$-th iterates $`R^{nm}f_m`$ of $`f_m`$ and $`R^{nm}g_m`$ of $`g_m`$ are exponentially close. Therefore, $`R^nf`$ is exponentially close to $`R^{nm}f_m`$, $`R^{nm}f_m`$ is exponentially close to $`R^{nm}g_m`$, and $`R^{nm}g_m`$ is exponentially close to $`R^ng`$, and so, by the triangle inequality, the $`n`$-th iterates $`R^nf`$ of $`f`$ and $`R^ng`$ of $`g`$ converge exponentially fast to each other. Finally, by Theorem 9.4 in the book  of de Melo and van Strien, we conclude that $`f`$ and $`g`$ are $`C^{1+\alpha }`$ conjugate along the closure of their critical orbits.

Let us point out the main ideas in the proof of Lemma 2: Sullivan in  proves that $`R^nf`$ is exponentially close to a quadratic-like map $`F_n`$ which has conformal modulus universally bounded away from zero. The quadratic-like map $`F_n`$ determines a unique quadratic map $`P_{c(F_n)}(z)=1c(F_n)z^2`$ which is hybrid conjugated to $`F_n`$ by a $`K`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism, where $`K`$ depends only upon the conformal modulus of $`F_n`$ (see Theorem 1 of Douady-Hubbard in , and Lemma 11 in Section 3.3). In , Lyubich proves the bounded geometry of the Cantor set consisting of all the parameters of the quadratic family $`P_c(z)=1cz^2`$ corresponding to infinitely renormalizable maps with combinatorial type bounded by $`N`$ (see definition in Section 2 and the proof of Lemma 2). In Lemma 8 of Section 2.2, we prove that $`R^nf`$ and $`F_n`$ have exponentially close renormalization types. Therefore, letting $`c_n`$ be the parameter corresponding to the quadratic map $`P_{c_n}`$ with the same combinatorial type as $`R^nf`$, we have, from the above result of Lyubich, that $`c(F_n)`$ and $`c_n`$ are exponentially close. In Lemma 12 of Section 3.3, we use holomorphic motions to prove the existence of a real quadratic-like map $`f_n`$ which is hybrid conjugated to $`P_{c_n}`$, and has the following essential property: the distance between $`F_n`$ and $`f_n`$ is proportional to the distance between $`c(F_n)`$ and $`c_n`$ raised to some positive constant. Therefore, the real quadratic-like map $`f_n`$ has the same combinatorial type as $`R^nf`$, and $`f_n`$ is exponentially close to $`F_n`$. Since the map $`F_n`$ is exponentially close to $`R^nf`$, we obtain that the map $`f_n`$ is also exponentially close to $`R^nf`$.

The example of Faria and de Melo in  for critical circle maps can be adapted to prove the existence of a pair of $`C^{\mathrm{}}`$ unimodal maps, with the same unbounded combinatorial type, such that the conjugacy $`h`$ has no $`C^{1+\alpha }`$ extension to the reals for any $`\alpha >0`$.

## 2. Shadowing unimodal maps

A $`C^r`$ unimodal map $`F:II`$ is normalized if $`I=[1,1]`$, $`F=\varphi _Fp`$, $`F(0)=1`$, and $`\varphi _F:[0,1]I`$ is a $`C^r`$ diffeomorphism. A $`C^r`$ unimodal map $`f=\varphi _fp\psi _f`$ with quadratic critical point either has trivial dynamics or has an invariant interval where it is $`C^r`$ conjugated to a $`C^r`$ normalized unimodal map $`F`$. Take, for instance, the map

$$\varphi _F(x)=\left(\psi _f^1\varphi _f(0)\right)^1\psi _f^1\varphi _f\left(\left(\psi _f^1\varphi _f(0)\right)^2x\right).$$

Therefore, from now on we will only consider $`C^r`$ normalized unimodal maps $`f`$.

The map $`f`$ is renormalizable if there is a closed interval $`J`$ centered at the origin, strictly contained in $`I`$, and $`l>1`$ such that the intervals $`J,\mathrm{},f^{l1}(J)`$ are disjoint, $`f^l(J)`$ is strictly contained in $`J`$ and $`f^l(0)J`$. If $`f`$ is renormalizable, we always consider the smallest $`l>1`$ and the minimal interval $`J_f=J`$ with the above properties. The set of all renormalizable maps is an open set in the $`C^0`$ topology. The renormalization operator $`R`$ acts on renormalizable maps $`f`$ by $`Rf=\psi f^l\psi ^1:II`$, where $`\psi :J_fI`$ is the restriction of a linear map sending $`f^l(0)`$ into $`1`$. Inductively, the map $`f`$ is $`n`$ times renormalizable if $`R^{n1}f`$ is renormalizable. If $`f`$ is $`n`$ times renormalizable for every $`n>0`$, then $`f`$ is infinitely renormalizable.

Let $`f`$ be a renormalizable map. We label the intervals $`J_f,\mathrm{},f^{l1}(J_f)`$ of $`f`$ by $`1,\mathrm{},l`$ according to their embedding on the real line, from the left to the right. The permutation $`\sigma _f:\{1,\mathrm{},l\}\{1,\mathrm{},l\}`$ is defined by $`\sigma _f(i)=j`$ if the interval labeled by $`i`$ is mapped by $`f`$ to the interval labeled by $`j`$. The renormalization type of an $`n`$ times renormalizable map $`f`$ is given by the sequence $`\sigma _f,\mathrm{},\sigma _{R^nf}`$. An $`n`$ times renormalizable map $`f`$ has renormalization type bounded by $`N>1`$ if the number of elements of the domain of each permutation $`\sigma _{R^mf}`$ is less than or equal to $`N`$ for every $`0mn`$. We have the analogous notions for infinitely renormalizable maps.

Note that if any two maps are $`n`$ times renormalizable and have the same combinatorial type (see definition in the introduction), then they have the same renormalization type. The converse is also true in the case of infinitely renormalizable maps. An infinitely renormalizable map has combinatorial type bounded by $`N>1`$ if the renormalization type is bounded by $`N`$.

If $`f=\varphi p`$ is $`n`$ times renormalizable, and $`\varphi C^2`$, there is a $`C^2`$ diffeomorphism $`\varphi _n`$ satisfying $`R^nf=\varphi _np`$. The nonlinearity $`\mathrm{nl}(\varphi _n)`$ of $`\varphi _n`$ is defined by

$$\mathrm{nl}(\varphi _n)=\underset{xp(I)}{sup}\left|\frac{\varphi _n^{\prime \prime }(x)}{\varphi _n^{}(x)}\right|.$$

Let $`(N,b)`$ be the set of all $`C^2`$ normalized unimodal maps $`f=\varphi p`$ with the following properties:

* $`f`$ is infinitely renormalizable;
* the combinatorial type of $`f`$ is bounded by $`N`$;
* $`\varphi _{C^2}b`$.

###### Theorem 3.

(Sullivan ) There exist positive constants $`B`$ and $`n_1(b)`$ such that, for every $`f(N,b)`$, the $`n`$-th renormalization $`R^nf=\varphi _np`$ of $`f`$ has the property that $`\mathrm{nl}(\varphi _n)B`$ for every $`nn_1`$.

This theorem together with Arzelá-Ascoli’s Theorem implies that, for every $`0\beta <2`$, and for every $`nn_1(b)`$, the renormalization iterates $`R^nf`$ are contained in a compact set of unimodal maps with respect to the $`C^\beta `$ norm. We will use this fact in the proof of Lemma 5 below.

### 2.1. Quadratic-like maps

A quadratic-like map $`f:VW`$ is a holomorphic map with the property that $`V`$ and $`W`$ are simply connected domains with the closure of $`V`$ contained in $`W`$, and $`f`$ is a degree two branched covering map. We add an extra condition that $`f`$ has a continuous extension to the boundary of $`V`$. The conformal modulus of a quadratic-like map $`f:VW`$ is equal to the conformal modulus of the annulus $`W\overline{V}`$. A real quadratic-like map is a quadratic-like map which commutes with complex conjugation.

The filled Julia set $`𝒦(f)`$ of $`f`$ is the set $`\{z:f^n(z)V,\mathrm{for}\mathrm{all}n0\}`$. Its boundary is the Julia set $`𝒥(f)`$ of $`f`$. These sets $`𝒥(f)`$ and $`𝒦(f)`$ are connected if the critical point of $`f`$ is contained in $`𝒦(f)`$.

Let $`𝒬(\mu )`$ be the set of all real quadratic-like maps $`f:VW`$ satisfying the following properties:

* the Julia set $`𝒥(f)`$ of $`f`$ is connected;
* the conformal modulus of $`f`$ is greater than or equal to $`\mu `$, and less than or equal to $`2\mu `$;
* $`f`$ is normalized to have the critical point at the origin, and the critical value at one.

By Theorem 5.8 in page 72 of , the set $`𝒬(\mu )`$ is compact in the Carathéodory topology taking the critical point as the base point (see definition in page 67 of ).

###### Theorem 4.

(Sullivan ) There exist positive constants $`\gamma (N)<1`$, $`C(b,N)`$, and $`\mu (N)`$ with the following property: if $`f(N,b)`$, then there exists $`f_n𝒬(\mu )`$ such that $`R^nff_n_{C^0}C\gamma ^n`$.

In the following sections, we will develop the results that will be used in the last section to prove the generalization of Theorem 4 (as stated in Lemma 2), and to prove Theorem 1.

### 2.2. Maps with close combinatorics

Let $`D(\sigma )`$ be the open set of all $`C^0`$ renormalizable unimodal maps $`f`$ with renormalization type $`\sigma _f=\sigma `$. The open sets $`D(\sigma )`$ are pairwise disjoint. Let $`E(\sigma )`$ be the complement of $`D(\sigma )`$ in the set of all $`C^0`$ unimodal maps $`f`$.

###### Lemma 5.

There exist positive constants $`n_2(b)`$ and $`ϵ(N)`$ with the following property: for every $`f(N,b)`$, for every $`nn_2`$, and for every $`gE(\sigma _{R^nf})`$, we have $`R^nfg_{C^0}>ϵ.`$

###### Proof.

Suppose, by contradiction, that there is a sequence $`R^{m_1}f_1`$, $`R^{m_2}f_2`$, $`\mathrm{}`$ with the property that for a chosen $`\sigma `$ there is a sequence $`g_1,g_2,\mathrm{}E(\sigma )`$ satisfying $`R^{m_i}f_ig_i_{C^0}<1/i`$. By Theorem 3, there are $`B>0`$ and $`n_1(b)1`$ such that the maps $`R^{m_i}f_i`$ have nonlinearity bounded by $`B>0`$ for all $`m_in_1`$. By Arzela-Ascoli’s Theorem, there is a subsequence $`R^{m_{i_1}}f_{i_1},R^{m_{i_2}}f_{i_2},\mathrm{}`$ which converges in the $`C^0`$ topology to a map $`g`$. Hence, the map $`g`$ is contained in the boundary of $`E(\sigma )`$ and is infinitely renormalizable. However, a map contained in the boundary of $`E(\sigma )`$ is not renormalizable, and so we get a contradiction. ∎

###### Lemma 6.

There exist positive constants $`n_3(N,b)`$ and $`L(N)`$ with the following property: for every $`f(N,b)`$, for every $`C^2`$ renormalizable unimodal map $`g`$, and for every $`n>n_3`$, we have

$$R^nfRg_{C^0}LR^{n1}fg_{C^0}.$$

###### Proof.

In the proof of this lemma we will use the inequality (1) below. Let $`f_1,\mathrm{},f_m`$ be maps with $`C^1`$ norm bounded by some constant $`d>0`$, and let $`g_1,\mathrm{},g_m`$ be $`C^0`$ maps. By induction on $`m`$, and by the Mean Value Theorem, there is $`c(m,d)>0`$ such that

(1) 
$$f_1\mathrm{}f_mg_1\mathrm{}g_m_{C^0}c\underset{i=1,\mathrm{},m}{\mathrm{max}}\{f_ig_i_{C^0}\}.$$

Set $`n_3=\mathrm{max}\{n_1,n_2\}`$, where $`n_1(b)`$ is defined as in Theorem 3, and $`n_2(b)`$ is defined as in Lemma 5. Set $`F=R^{n1}f`$ with $`nn_3`$. We start by considering the simple case (a), where $`F`$ and $`g`$ do not have the same renormalization type, and conclude with the complementary case (b). In case (a), by Lemma 5, there is $`ϵ(N)>0`$ with the property that

$$RFRg_{C^0}22ϵ^1Fg_{C^0}.$$

In case (b), there is $`1<mN`$ such that $`RF(x)=a_FF^m(a_F^1x)`$, and $`Rg(x)=a_gg^m(a_g^1x)`$, where $`a_F=F^m(0)`$ and $`a_g=g^m(0)`$. By Theorem 3, there is a positive constant $`B(N)`$ bounding the nonlinearity of $`F`$. Since the set of all infinitely renormalizable unimodal maps $`F`$ with nonlinearity bounded by $`B`$ is a compact set with respect to the $`C^0`$ topology, and since $`a_F`$ varies continuously with $`F`$, there is $`S(N)>0`$ with the property that $`|a_F|S`$. Again, by Theorem 3, and by inequality (1), there is $`c_1(N)>0`$ such that

(2) 
$$F^mg^m_{C^0}c_1Fg_{C^0}.$$

Thus,

(3) 
$$|a_Fa_g|c_1Fg_{C^0}.$$

Now, let us consider the cases where (i) $`FgS/(2c_1)`$ and (ii) $`FgS/(2c_1)`$. In case (i), we get

$$RFRg_{C^0}24c_1S^1Fg_{C^0}.$$

In case (ii), using that $`|a_F|S`$ and $`(\text{3})`$, we get $`a_ga_FS/2S/2`$, and thus, by $`(\text{2})`$, we obtain

$$\left|a_F^1a_g^1\right|a_F^1a_g^1|a_Fa_g|2S^2c_1Fg_{C^0}.$$

Hence, again by $`(\text{2})`$ and $`(\text{3})`$, there is $`c_2(N)>0`$ with the property that

$`RFRg_{C^0}`$ $``$ $`F^m_{C^0}|a_Fa_g|+|a_g|F^m_{C^1}\left|a_F^1a_g^1\right|`$   
$`+|a_g|F^mg^m_{C^0}`$   
$``$ $`c_2Fg_{C^0}.`$   
Therefore, this lemma is satisfied with $`L(N)=\mathrm{max}\{2ϵ^1,4c_1S^1,c_2\}`$. ∎

###### Lemma 7.

For all positive constants $`\lambda <1`$ and $`C`$ there exist positive constants $`\alpha (N,\lambda )`$ and $`n_4(b,N,\lambda ,C)`$ with the following property: for every $`f(N,b)`$, and every $`n>n_4`$, if $`f_n`$ is a $`C^2`$ unimodal map such that

$$R^nff_n_{C^0}<C\lambda ^n,$$

then $`f_n`$ is $`[\alpha n+1]`$ times renormalizable with $`\sigma _{R^mf_n}=\sigma _{R^{n+m}f}`$ for every $`m=0,\mathrm{},[\alpha n]`$ (where $`[y]`$ means the integer part of $`y>0`$.)

###### Proof.

Let $`ϵ(N)`$ and $`n_2(b)`$ be as defined in Lemma 5, and let $`L(N)`$ and $`n_3(b)`$ be as defined in Lemma 6. Take $`\alpha >0`$ such that $`L^\alpha \lambda <1`$. Set $`n_4\mathrm{max}\{n_2,n_3\}`$ such that $`C\lambda ^{n_4}<ϵ`$ and $`C\lambda ^{n_4}L^{[\alpha n_4]}<ϵ`$. Then, for every $`n>n_4`$, the values $`C\lambda ^n,C\lambda ^nL,\mathrm{},C\lambda ^nL^{[\alpha n]}`$ are less than $`ϵ`$.

By Lemma 5, if $`R^nff_n_{C^0}<C\lambda ^n<ϵ`$ with $`n>n_4`$, then the map $`f_n`$ is contained in $`D(\sigma _{R^nf})`$. Thus, $`f_n`$ is once renormalizable, and $`\sigma _{f_n}=\sigma _{R^nf}`$. By induction on $`m=1,\mathrm{},[\alpha n]`$, let us suppose that $`f_n`$ is $`m`$ times renormalizable, and $`\sigma _{R^if_n}=\sigma _{R^{n+i}f}`$ for every $`i=0,\mathrm{},m1`$. By Lemma 6, we get that $`R^{n+m}fR^mf_n_{C^0}<CL^m\lambda ^n<ϵ`$. Hence, again by Lemma 5, the map $`R^mf_n`$ is once renormalizable, and $`\sigma _{R^mf_n}=\sigma _{R^{n+m}f}`$. ∎

###### Lemma 8.

There exist positive constants $`\gamma (N)<1`$, $`\alpha (N)`$, $`\mu (N)`$, and $`C(b,N)`$ with the following property: for every $`f(N,b)`$, there exists $`f_n𝒬(\mu )`$ such that

* $`R^nff_n_{C^0}C\gamma ^n`$;
* $`f_n`$ is $`[\alpha n+1]`$ times renormalizable with $`\sigma _{R^mf_n}=\sigma _{R^{n+m}f}`$ for every $`m=0,\mathrm{},[\alpha n]`$.

###### Proof.

The proof follows from Theorem 4 and Lemma 7. ∎

## 3. Varying quadratic-like maps

We start by introducing some classical results on Beltrami differentials and holomorphic motions, all of which we will apply later in this section to vary the combinatorics of quadratic-like maps.

### 3.1. Beltrami differentials

A homeomorphism $`h:UV`$, where $`U`$ and $`V`$ are contained in $``$ or $`\overline{}`$, is quasiconformal if it has locally integrable distributional derivatives $`h`$, $`\overline{}h`$, and if there is $`ϵ<1`$ with the property that $`\left|\overline{}h/h\right|ϵ`$ almost everywhere. The Beltrami differential $`\mu _h`$ of $`h`$ is given by $`\mu _h=\overline{}h/h`$. A quasiconformal map $`h`$ is $`K`$ quasiconformal if $`K(1+\mu _h_{\mathrm{}})/(1\mu _h_{\mathrm{}})`$.

We denote by $`D_R(c_0)`$ the open disk in $``$ centered at the point $`c_0`$ and with radius $`R>0`$. We also use the notation $`D_R=D_R(0)`$ for the disk centered at the origin.

The following theorem is a slight extension of Theorem 4.3 in page 27 of the book  by Lehto.

###### Theorem 9.

Let $`\psi :`$ be a quasiconformal map with the following properties:

* $`\mu _\psi =\overline{}\psi /\psi `$ has support contained in the disk $`D_R`$;
* $`\mu _\psi _{\mathrm{}}<ϵ<1`$;
* $`lim_{|z|\mathrm{}}(\psi (z)z)=0`$.

Then there exists $`C(ϵ,R)>0`$ such that

$$\psi id_{C^0}C\mu _\psi _{\mathrm{}}.$$

###### Proof.

Let us define $`\varphi _1=\mu _\psi `$, and, by induction on $`i1`$, we define $`\varphi _{i+1}=\mu _\psi H\varphi _i`$, where $`H\varphi _i`$ is the Hilbert transform of $`\varphi _i`$ given by the Cauchy Principal Value of

$$\frac{1}{\pi }_{}\frac{\varphi _i(\xi )}{(\xi z)^2}𝑑u𝑑v.$$

By Theorem 4.3 in page 27 of , we get $`\psi (z)=z+_{i=1}^{\mathrm{}}T\varphi _i(z)`$, where $`T\varphi _i(z)`$ is given by

$$\frac{1}{\pi }_{}\frac{\varphi _i(\xi )}{\xi z}𝑑u𝑑v.$$

By the Calderón-Zigmund inequality (see page 27 of ), for every $`p1`$, the Hilbert operator $`H:L^pL^p`$ is bounded, and its norm $`H_p`$ varies continuously with $`p`$. An elementary integration also shows that $`H_2=1`$ (see page 157 of ). Therefore, given that $`\mu _\psi _{\mathrm{}}<ϵ`$, there is $`p_0(ϵ)>2`$ with the property that

(4) 
$$H_{p_0}\mu _\psi _{\mathrm{}}<H_{p_0}ϵ<1.$$

Since $`p_0>2`$, it follows from Hölder’s inequality (see page 141 of ) that there is a positive constant $`c_1(p_0,R)`$ such that

(5) 
$$T\varphi _i_{C^0}c_1\varphi _i_{p_0}.$$

By a simple computation, we get

(6) 
$$\varphi _i_{p_0}(\pi R^2)^{\frac{1}{p_0}}H_{p_0}^{i1}\mu _\psi _{\mathrm{}}^i.$$

Thus, by inequalities (4), (5), and (6), there is a positive constant $`c_2(ϵ,R)`$ with the property that

$`\psi id_{C^0}`$ $``$ $`{\displaystyle \underset{i=1}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}T\varphi _i_{C^0}{\displaystyle \frac{c_1(\pi R^2)^{\frac{1}{p_0}}\mu _\psi _{\mathrm{}}}{1H_{p_0}\mu _\psi _{\mathrm{}}}}`$   
$``$ $`c_2\mu _\psi _{\mathrm{}}.`$   
### 3.2. Holomorphic motions

A holomorphic motion of a subset $`X`$ of the Riemann sphere over a disk $`D_R(c_0)`$ is a family of maps $`\psi _c:XX_c`$ with the following properties: (i) $`\psi _c`$ is an injection of $`X`$ onto a subset $`X_c`$ of the Riemann sphere; (ii) $`\psi _{c_0}=id`$; (iii) for every $`zX`$, $`\psi _c(z)`$ varies holomorphically with $`cD_R(c_0)`$.

###### Theorem 10.

(Słodkowski ) Let $`\psi _c:XX_c`$ be a holomorphic motion over the disk $`D_R(c_0)`$. Then there is a holomorphic motion $`\mathrm{\Psi }_c:\overline{}\overline{}`$ over the disk $`D_R(c_0)`$ such that

* $`\mathrm{\Psi }_c|X=\psi _c`$;
* $`\mathrm{\Psi }_c`$ is a $`K_c`$ quasiconformal map with

$$K_c=\frac{R+|cc_0|}{R|cc_0|}.$$

See also Douady’s survey .

### 3.3. Varying the combinatorics

Let $``$ be the set of all quadratic-like maps with connected Julia set. Let $`𝒫`$ be the set of all normalized quadratic maps $`P_c:`$ defined by $`P_c(z)=1cz^2`$, where $`c\{0\}`$. Two quadratic-like maps $`f`$ and $`g`$ are hybrid conjugate if there is a quasiconformal conjugacy $`h`$ between $`f`$ and $`g`$ with the property that $`\overline{}h(z)=0`$ for almost every $`z𝒦(f)`$. By Douady-Hubbard’s Theorem 1 in page 296 of , for every $`f`$ there exists a unique quadratic map $`P_{c(f)}`$ which is hybrid conjugated to $`f`$. The map $`\xi :𝒫`$ defined by $`\xi (f)=P_{c(f)}`$ is called the straightening.

Observe that a real quadratic map $`P_c`$ with $`c[1,2]`$ has trivial dynamics. Therefore, we will restrict our study to the set $`𝒬([1,2],\mu )`$ of all $`f𝒬(\mu )`$ satisfying $`\xi (f)=P_{c(f)}`$ for some $`c(f)[1,2]`$.

Let us choose a radius $`\mathrm{\Delta }`$ large enough such that, for every $`c[1,2]`$, $`P_c(z)=1cz^2`$ is a quadratic-like map when restricted to $`P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$.

###### Lemma 11.

There exist positive constants $`\mathrm{\Omega }(\mu )`$ and $`K(\mu )`$ with the following property: for every $`f𝒬([1,2],\mu )`$ there exists a topological disk $`V_fD_\mathrm{\Omega }`$ such that $`f`$ restricted to $`f^1(V_f)`$ is a quadratic-like map. Furthermore, there is a $`K`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f:\overline{}\overline{}`$ such that

* $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f|\mathrm{\Phi }_f^1(V_f)`$ is a hybrid conjugacy between $`f`$ and $`P_{c(f)}`$;
* $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f(V_f)=D_\mathrm{\Delta }`$;
* $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ is holomorphic over $`\overline{}\overline{V_f}`$;
* $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f(\overline{z})=\overline{\mathrm{\Phi }_f(z)}`$.

###### Proof.

The main point in this proof is to combine the hybrid conjugacy between $`f`$ and $`P_{c(f)}`$ given by Douady-Hubbard, with Sullivan’s pull-back argument, and with McMullen’s rigidity theorem for real quadratic maps. Using Sullivan’s pull-back argument and the hybrid conjugacy between $`f`$ and $`P_{c(f)}`$, we construct a $`K`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f:\overline{}\overline{}`$ which restricts to a conjugacy between $`f`$ and $`P_{c(f)}`$. Moreover, $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ satisfies properties (ii), (iii) and (iv) of this lemma, and the restriction of $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ to the filled in Julia set of $`f`$ extends to a quasi conformal map that is a hybrid conjugacy between $`f`$ and $`P_{c(f)}`$. By Rickman’s glueing lemma (see Lemma 2 in ) it follows that $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ also satisfies property (i) of this lemma.

Now, we give the details of the proof: let us consider the set of all quadratic-like maps $`f:W_fW_f^{}`$ contained in $`𝒬([1,2],\mu )`$. Using the Koebe Distortion Lemma (see page 84 of ), we can slightly shrink $`f^n(W_f^{})`$ for some $`n0`$ to obtain an open set $`V_f`$ with the following properties:

* $`V_f`$ is symmetric with respect to the real axis;
* the restriction of $`f`$ to $`f^1(V_f)`$ is a quadratic-like map;
* the annulus $`V_f\overline{f^1(V_f)}`$ has conformal modulus between $`\mu /2`$ and $`2\mu `$;
* the boundaries of $`V_f\overline{f^1(V_f)}`$ are analytic $`\gamma (\mu )`$ quasi-circles for some $`\gamma (\mu )>0`$, i. e., they are images of an Euclidean circle by $`\gamma (\mu )`$ quasiconformal maps defined on $`\overline{}`$.

Let $`𝒬^{}`$ be the set of all quadratic-like maps $`f:f^1(V_f)V_f`$ contained in $`𝒬([1,2],\mu /2)𝒬([1,2],\mu )`$ for which $`V_f`$ satisfies properties (i), $`\mathrm{}`$, (iv) of last paragraph. Since for every $`f𝒬^{}`$ the boundaries of $`V_f\overline{f^1(V_f)}`$ are analytic $`\gamma (\mu )`$ quasi-circles, any convergent sequence $`f_n𝒬^{}`$, with limit $`g`$, in the Carathéodory topology has the property that the sets $`V_{f_n}`$ converge to $`V_g`$ in the Hausdorff topology (see Section 4.1 in pages 75-76 of ). Therefore, the set $`𝒬^{}`$ is closed with respect to the Carathéodory topology, and hence is compact. Furthermore, by compactness of $`𝒬^{}`$, and using the Koebe Distortion Lemma, there is an Euclidean disk $`D_\mathrm{\Omega }`$ which contains $`V_f`$ for every $`f𝒬^{}`$.

Now, let us construct $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f:\overline{}\overline{}`$ such that the properties (i), $`\mathrm{}`$, (iv) of this lemma are satisfied.

Since $`V_f`$ is symmetric with respect to the real axis, there is a unique Riemann Mapping $`\varphi :\overline{}\overline{V_f}\overline{}\overline{D_\mathrm{\Delta }}`$ satisfying $`\varphi (\overline{z})=\overline{\varphi (z)}`$, and such that $`\varphi (^+)^+`$. Since the boundaries of $`V_f\overline{f^1(V_f)}`$ are analytic $`\gamma (\mu )`$ quasi-circles, using the Ahlfors-Beurling Theorem (see Theorem 5.2 in page 33 of ) the map $`\varphi `$ has a $`K_1(\mu )`$ quasiconformal homeomorphic extension $`\varphi _1:\overline{}\overline{}`$ which also is symmetric $`\varphi _1(\overline{z})=\overline{\varphi _1(z)}`$.

Let $`\varphi _2:V_f𝒦(f)D_\mathrm{\Delta }𝒦(P_{c(f)})`$ be the unique continuous lift of $`\varphi _1`$ satisfying $`P_{c(f)}\varphi _2(z)=\varphi _1f(z)`$, and such that $`\varphi _2(^+)^+`$. Since $`\varphi _1`$ is a $`K_1(\mu )`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism, so is $`\varphi _2`$.

Using the Ahlfors-Beurling Theorem, we construct a $`K_2(\mu )`$ quasi-conformal homeomorphism $`\varphi _3:\overline{}𝒦(f)\overline{}𝒦(P_{c(f)})`$ interpolating $`\varphi _1`$ and $`\varphi _2`$ with the following properties:

* $`\varphi _3(z)=\varphi _1(z)`$ for every $`z\overline{}V_f`$;
* $`\varphi _3(z)=\varphi _2(z)`$ for every $`z\overline{f^1(V_f)}𝒦(f)`$;
* $`\varphi _3(\overline{z})=\overline{\varphi _3(z)}`$.

Then the map $`\varphi _3`$ conjugates $`f`$ on $`f^1(V_f)`$ with $`P_{c(f)}`$ on $`P_{c(f)}^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$, and is holomorphic over $`\overline{}\overline{V_f}\overline{}\overline{D_\mathrm{\Omega }}`$.

By Theorem 1 in , there is a $`K_f^{}`$ quasiconformal hybrid conjugacy $`\varphi _4:V_f^{}V_{c(f)}^{}`$ between $`f`$ and $`P_{c(f)}`$, where $`V_f^{}`$ is a neigbourhood of $`𝒦(f)`$. Using the Ahlfors-Beurling Theorem, we construct a $`K_f^{\prime \prime }`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism $`\mathrm{\Phi }_0:\overline{}\overline{}`$ interpolating $`\varphi _3`$ and $`\varphi _4`$ such that

* $`\mathrm{\Phi }_0(z)=\varphi _3(z)`$ for every $`z\overline{}f^1(V_f)`$;
* $`\mathrm{\Phi }_0(z)=\varphi _4(z)`$ for every $`z𝒦(f)`$;
* $`\mathrm{\Phi }_0(\overline{z})=\overline{\mathrm{\Phi }_0(z)}`$.

Then the map $`\mathrm{\Phi }_0`$ conjugates $`f`$ on $`𝒦(f)f^1(V_f)`$ with $`P_{c(f)}`$ on $`𝒦(P_{c(f)})P_{c(f)}^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$, and satisfies the properties (ii), (iii) and (iv) as stated in this lemma. Furthermore, $`\mu _{\mathrm{\Phi }_0}(z)=0`$ for every $`z\overline{}V_f`$, $`|\mu _{\mathrm{\Phi }_f}(z)|(K_21)/(K_2+1)`$ for a. e. $`zV_ff^1(V_f)`$, and $`\mu _{\mathrm{\Phi }_f}(z)=0`$ for a. e. $`z𝒦(f)𝒥(f)`$.

For every $`n>0`$, let us inductively define the $`K_f^{\prime \prime }`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism $`\mathrm{\Phi }_n:\overline{}\overline{}`$ as follows:

* $`\mathrm{\Phi }_n(z)=\mathrm{\Phi }_{n1}(z)`$ for every $`z\left(\overline{}f^n(V_f)\right)𝒦(f)`$;
* $`P_{c(f)}\mathrm{\Phi }_n(z)=\mathrm{\Phi }_{n1}f(z)`$ for every $`zf^n(V_f)𝒦(f)`$.

By compactness of the set of all $`K_f^{\prime \prime }`$ quasiconformal homeomorphisms on $`\overline{}`$ fixing three points ($`0`$, $`1`$ and $`\mathrm{}`$), there is a subsequence $`\mathrm{\Phi }_{n_j}`$ which converges to a $`K_f^{\prime \prime }`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$. Then $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ satisfies the properties (ii), (iii) and (iv) as stated in this lemma.

The restriction of $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ to the set $`f^1(V_f)`$ has the property of being a quasiconformal conjugacy between $`f`$ and $`P_{c(f)}`$. Furthermore, the Beltrami differential $`\mu _{\mathrm{\Phi }_f}`$ has the following properties:

* $`\mu _{\mathrm{\Phi }_f}(z)=0`$ for every $`z\overline{}V_f`$;
* $`|\mu _{\mathrm{\Phi }_f}(z)|(K_21)/(K_2+1)`$ for a. e. $`zV_f𝒦(f)`$;
* $`\mu _{\mathrm{\Phi }_f}(z)=0`$ for a. e. $`z𝒦(f)𝒥(f)`$.

Therefore, by Rickman’s glueing lemma, $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f:\overline{}\overline{}`$ is a $`K_2(\mu )`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism, and $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ restricted to the set $`f^1(V_f)`$ is a hybrid conjugacy between $`f`$ and $`P_{c(f)}`$. ∎

The lemma below could be proven using the external fibers and the fact that the holonomy of the hybrid foliation is quasi conformal as in . However we will give a more direct proof of it below.

###### Lemma 12.

There exist positive constants $`\beta (\mu )1`$, $`D(\mu )`$, and $`\mu ^{}(\mu )`$ with the following property: for every $`c[1,2]`$, and for every $`f𝒬([1,2],\mu )`$, there is $`f_c𝒬([1,2],\mu ^{})`$ satisfying $`\xi (f_c)=P_c`$, and such that

(7) 
$$ff_c_{C^0(I)}D|c(f)c|^\beta .$$

###### Proof.

The main step of this proof consists of constructing the real quadratic-like maps $`f_c=\psi _cP_c\psi _c^1`$ satisfying $`f_{c(f)}=f`$, and such that the maps $`\omega _c:\overline{}\overline{}`$ defined by $`\omega _c=\psi _c\psi _{c(f)}^1`$ form a holomorphic motion $`\omega _c`$, and have the property of being holomorphic on the complement of a disk centered at the origin. Using Theorem 9 and Theorem 10, we prove that there is a positive constant $`L_3`$ with the property that $`\omega _cid_{C^0}L_3|cc(f)|`$. Finally, we show that this implies the inequality (7) above.

Now, we give the details of the proof: let us choose a small $`ϵ>0`$, and a small open set $`U`$ of $``$ containing the interval $`[1,2]`$ such that, for every $`cU`$, the quadratic map $`P_c(z)=1cz^2`$ has a quadratic-like restriction to $`P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$, and $`P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })D_{\mathrm{\Delta }ϵ}`$. Let $`\eta :`$ be a $`C^{\mathrm{}}`$ function with the following properties:

* $`\eta (z)=1`$ for every $`zD_\mathrm{\Delta }`$;
* $`\eta (z)=0`$ for every $`zD_{\mathrm{\Delta }ϵ}`$;
* $`\eta (z)=\eta (\overline{z})`$ for every $`z`$.

There is a unique continuous lift $`\alpha _c:P_{c_0}^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$ of the identity map such that

* $`P_c\alpha _c(z)=P_{c_0}(z)`$;
* $`\alpha _{c_0}=id`$;
* $`\alpha _c(z)`$ varies continuously with $`c`$.

Then the maps $`\alpha _c`$ are holomorphic injections, and, for every $`zP_{c_0}^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$, $`\alpha _c(z)`$ varies holomorphically with $`c`$.

Let $`\beta _c:P_{c_0}^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$ be the interpolation between the identity map and $`\alpha _c`$ defined by $`\beta _c=\eta id+(1\eta )\alpha _c`$. We choose $`r^{}>0`$ small enough such that, for every $`c_0[1,2]`$, and $`cD_r^{}(c_0)U`$, $`\beta _c`$ is a diffeomorphism. Then $`\beta _c:P_{c_0}^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$ is a holomorphic motion over $`D_r(c_0)`$ with the following properties:

* the map $`\beta _c`$ is a conjugacy between $`P_{c_0}`$ on $`P_{c_0}^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$ and $`P_c`$ on $`P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$;
* the restriction of $`\beta _c`$ to the set $`D_\mathrm{\Delta }`$ is the identity map;
* if $`c`$ is real then $`\beta _c(\overline{z})=\overline{\beta _c(z)}`$.

By Theorem 10, $`\beta _c`$ extends to a holomorphic motion $`\widehat{\beta }_c:\overline{}\overline{}`$ over $`D_r^{}(c_0)`$, and, by taking $`r=r^{}/2`$, the map $`\widehat{\beta }_c`$ is $`3`$ quasiconformal for every $`cD_r(c_0)`$.

By Lemma 11, there is a $`K(\mu )`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f:\overline{}\overline{}`$, and an open set $`V_f=\mathrm{\Phi }_f^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$ such that (i) $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ restricted to $`f^1(V_f)`$ is a hybrid conjugacy between $`f`$ and $`P_{c(f)}`$; (ii) $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ is holomorphic over $`\overline{}\overline{V_f}`$; and (iii) $`\mathrm{\Phi }_f(\overline{z})=\overline{\mathrm{\Phi }_f(z)}`$. Let $`\mathrm{\Phi }_c:\overline{}\overline{}`$ be defined by $`\mathrm{\Phi }_c=\widehat{\beta }_c\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$. Then, for every $`cD_r(c_0)`$, $`\mathrm{\Phi }_c`$ is a $`3K`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism which conjugates $`f`$ on $`f^1(V_f)`$ with $`P_c`$ on $`P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$.

We define the Beltrami differential $`\mu _c`$ as follows:

* $`\mu _c(z)=0`$ if $`z𝒦(P_c)(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$;
* $`(\mathrm{\Phi }_c)^{}\mu _c(z)=0`$ if $`zD_\mathrm{\Delta }\overline{P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta })}`$;
* $`\left(P_c^n\right)_{}\mu _c(z)=\mu _c(P_c^n(z))`$ if $`zP_c^n(D_\mathrm{\Delta })\overline{P_c^{(n+1)}(D_\mathrm{\Delta })}`$ and $`n1`$.

Then (i) the Beltrami differential $`\mu _c`$ varies holomorphically with $`c`$; (ii) $`\mu _c_{\mathrm{}}<(3K1)/(3K+1)`$ for every $`cD_r(c(f))`$; and (iii) if $`c`$ is real then $`\mu _c(\overline{z})=\overline{\mu _c(z)}`$ for almost every $`z`$.

By the Ahlfors-Bers Theorem (see ), for every $`cD_r(c(f))`$ there is a normalized $`3K`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism $`\psi _c:\overline{}\overline{}`$ with $`\psi _c(0)=0`$, $`\psi _c(1)=1`$, and $`\psi _c(\mathrm{})=\mathrm{}`$ such that $`\mu _{\psi _c}=\mu _c`$, and $`\psi _c(z)`$ varies holomorphically with $`c`$. Thus, the restriction of $`\psi _c`$ to $`\overline{}\overline{D_\mathrm{\Delta }}`$ is a holomorphic map, and if $`c`$ is real then $`\psi _c(\overline{z})=\overline{\psi _c(z)}`$ for every $`z`$.

The map $`f_c:\psi _c(P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta }))\psi _c(D_\mathrm{\Delta })`$ defined by $`f_c=\psi _cP_c\psi _c^1`$ is $`1`$ quasiconformal, and thus a holomorphic map. Furthermore, the map $`f_c`$ is hybrid conjugated to $`P_c`$, and so $`f_c`$ is a quadratic-like map whose straightening $`\xi (f)`$ is $`P_c`$. Since the conformal modulus of the annulus $`\psi _c(D_\mathrm{\Delta })\overline{\psi _c(P_c^1(D_\mathrm{\Delta }))}`$ depends only on $`3K(\mu )`$, we obtain that there is a positive constant $`\mu ^{}(\mu )`$ such that the conformal modulus of $`f_c`$ is greater than or equal to $`\mu ^{}(\mu )`$. If $`c`$ is real then $`f_c(\overline{z})=\overline{f_c(z)}`$, which implies that $`f_c`$ is a real quadratic-like map.

For the parameter $`c(f)`$, the map $`\psi _{c(f)}\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ is $`1`$ quasiconformal and fixes three points ($`0`$, $`1`$ and $`\mathrm{}`$). Therefore, $`\psi _{c(f)}\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ is the identity map, and since the map $`\psi _{c(f)}\mathrm{\Phi }_f`$ conjugates $`f`$ with $`f_{c(f)}`$, we get $`f_{c(f)}=f`$.

Now, let us prove that the quadratic-like map $`f_c`$ satisfies inequality (7). By compactness of the set of all $`3K(\mu )`$ quasiconformal homeomorphisms $`\varphi `$ on $`\overline{}`$ fixing three points ($`0`$, $`1`$ and $`\mathrm{}`$), there are positive constants $`l(s,\mu )sL(s,\mu )`$ for every $`s>0`$ with the property that

(8) 
$$D_l\varphi (D_s)\mathrm{and}\overline{}\overline{D_L}\varphi (\overline{}\overline{D_s}).$$

Thus, there is $`\mathrm{\Delta }^{\prime \prime }=L(L(\mathrm{\Delta }))`$ with the property that $`\omega _c=\psi _c\psi _{c(f)}^1`$ is holomorphic in $`\overline{}\overline{D_{\mathrm{\Delta }^{\prime \prime }}}`$ for every $`cD_r(c(f))`$, and $`c(f)[1,2]`$.

Let $`S_{2\mathrm{\Delta }^{\prime \prime }}`$ be the circle centered at the origin and with radius $`2\mathrm{\Delta }^{\prime \prime }`$. By (8), we obtain that $`\omega _c(S_{2\mathrm{\Delta }^{\prime \prime }})`$ is at a uniform distance from $`0`$ and $`\mathrm{}`$ for every $`cD_r(c(f))`$, and $`c(f)[1,2]`$. Hence, by the Cauchy Integral Formula, and since $`\omega _c`$ is a holomorphic motion over $`D_r(c(f))`$, the value $`a_c=\omega _c^{}(\mathrm{})`$ varies holomorphically with $`c`$, and there is a constant $`L_1(\mu )>0`$ with the property that

(9) 
$$|a_c1|<L_1|cc(f)|.$$

Thus, (i) the map $`a_c\omega _c`$ is holomorphic in $`\overline{}\overline{D_{\mathrm{\Delta }^{\prime \prime }}}`$; (ii) $`\mu _{a_c\omega _c}_{\mathrm{}}`$ is less than or equal to $`(9K^21)/(9K^2+1)`$; and (iii) $`lim_{|z|\mathrm{}}(a_c\omega _c(z)z)=0`$. Hence, by Theorem 9, there is a positive constant $`L_2(\mu )`$ such that, for every $`cD_r(c(f))`$, and for every $`c(f)[1,2]`$, we get

(10) 
$$a_c\omega _cid_{C^0}L_2\mu _{a_c\omega _c}_{\mathrm{}}.$$

Since $`a_c\omega _c`$ is a holomorphic motion over $`D_r(c(f))`$, and by Theorem 10, we get

(11) 
$$\mu _{a_c\omega _c}_{\mathrm{}}\frac{|cc(f)|}{r}.$$

By inequalities (9), (10), and (11) there is a positive constant $`L_3(\mu )`$ such that, for every $`c(f)[1,2]`$, and for every $`c(c(f)r,c(f)+r)`$, we obtain

(12) 
$$\omega _cid_{C^0(I)}<L_3|cc(f)|.$$

This implies that

(13) 
$$\omega _c^1id_{C^0(I)}<L_3|cc(f)|.$$

Since $`\omega _c`$ is a $`9K^2`$ quasiconformal homeomorphism, and fixes three points, we obtain from Theorem 4.3 in page 70 of  that there are positive constants $`\beta (\mu )1`$ and $`L_4(\mu )`$ with the property that $`\omega _c_{C^\beta (I)}<L_4`$. Then by inequalities (12) and (13) there is a positive constant $`L_5(\mu )`$ such that, for every $`c(f)[1,2]`$, and for every $`c(c(f)r,c(f)+r)`$, we have

$`f_cf_{c(f)}_{C^0(I)}`$ $``$ $`\omega _cid_{C^0(I)}+\omega _c_{C^\beta (I)}P_cP_{c(f)}_{C^0(I)}^\beta `$   
$`+\omega _c_{C^\beta }P_{c(f)}_{C^1(I)}^\beta \omega _c^1id_{C^0(I)}^\beta `$   
$``$ $`L_5|cc(f)|^\beta .`$   
Finally, by increasing the constant $`L_5`$ if necessary, we obtain that the last inequality is also satisfied for every $`c(f)`$ and $`c`$ contained in $`[1,2]`$. ∎

## 4. Proofs of the main results

### 4.1. Proof of Lemma 2

Let $`f=\varphi _fp`$ be a $`C^2`$ infinitely renormalizable map with bounded combinatorial type. Let $`N`$ be such that the combinatorial type of $`f`$ is bounded by $`N`$, and set $`b=\varphi _f_{C^2}`$. By Lemma 8, there are positive constants $`\gamma (N)<1`$, $`\alpha (N)`$, $`\mu (N)`$, and $`c_1(b,N)`$ with the following properties: for every $`n0`$, there is an $`[\alpha n+1]`$ times renormalizable quadratic-like map $`F_n`$ with renormalization type $`\underset{¯}{\sigma }(n)=\sigma _{R^nf},\mathrm{},\sigma _{R^{n+[\alpha n]}f}`$, with conformal modulus greater than or equal to $`\mu `$, and satisfying

(14) 
$$R^nfF_n_{C^0(I)}c_1\gamma ^n.$$

By Milnor-Thurston’s topological classification (see  and Theorem 4.2a. in page 470 of ), the real values $`c`$ for which the real quadratic maps $`P_c(z)=1cz^2`$ have renormalization type $`\underset{¯}{\sigma }(n)`$ is an interval $`I_{\underset{¯}{\sigma }(n)}`$. Thus, by Sullivan’s pull-back argument (see  and Theorem 4.2b. in page 471 of ), there is a unique $`c_nI_{\underset{¯}{\sigma }(n)}`$ such that $`P_{c_n}`$ has the same combinatorial type as $`R^n(f)`$. By Douady-Hubbard’s Theorem 1 in , there is a unique quadratic map $`\xi (F_n)=P_{c(F_n)}`$ which is hybrid conjugated to $`F_n`$. Since $`F_n`$ has renormalization type $`\underset{¯}{\sigma }(n)`$, the parameter $`c(F_n)`$ belongs to $`I_{\underset{¯}{\sigma }(n)}`$. By Lyubich’s Theorem 9.6 in page 79 of , there are positive constants $`\lambda (N)<1`$ and $`c_2(N)`$ such that $`|I_{\underset{¯}{\sigma }(n)}|c_2\lambda ^n`$. Therefore, $`|c_nc(F_n)|c_2\lambda ^n`$.

By Lemma 12, there are positive constants $`\beta (\mu )<1`$, $`D(\mu )`$, and $`\mu ^{}(\mu )`$ with the following properties: for every $`n0`$, there is a real quadratic-like map $`f_n`$ with conformal modulus greater than or equal to $`\mu ^{}`$, satisfying $`\xi (f_n)=P_{c_n}`$, and such that

$$f_nF_n_{C^0(I)}D|c_nc(F_n)|^\beta Dc_2^\beta \lambda ^{\beta n}.$$

Therefore, the map $`f_n`$ has the same combinatorial type as $`R^n(f)`$, and, by inequality (14), for $`C(b,N)=c_1+Dc_2^\beta `$ and $`\eta (N)=\mathrm{max}\{\gamma ,\lambda ^\beta \}`$, we get

$$R^nff_n_{C^0(I)}C\eta ^n.$$

### 4.2. Proof of Theorem 1

Let $`f=\varphi _fp`$ and $`g=\varphi _gp`$ be any two $`C^2`$ infinitely renormalizable unimodal maps with the same bounded combinatorial type. Let $`N`$ be such that the combinatorial type of $`f`$ and $`g`$ are bounded by $`N`$, and set $`b=\mathrm{max}\{\varphi _f_{C^2},\varphi _g_{C^2}\}`$. For every $`n0`$, let $`m=[\alpha n]`$, where $`0<\alpha <1`$ will be fixed later in the proof. By Lemma 2, there are positive constants $`\eta (N)<1`$ and $`c_1(b,N)`$, and there are infinitely renormalizable real quadratic-like maps $`F_m`$ and $`G_m`$ with the following property:

(15) 
$$R^mfF_m_{C^0(I)}c_1\eta ^{\alpha n}\mathrm{and}R^mgG_m_{C^0(I)}c_1\eta ^{\alpha n}.$$

By Lemma 6, there are positive constants $`n_3(b)`$ and $`L(N)`$ such that, for every $`m>n_3`$, we get

$`R^nfR^{nm}F_m_{C^0(I)}`$ $``$ $`L^{nm}R^mfF_m_{C^0(I)}`$   
$``$ $`c_1\left(L^{1\alpha }\eta ^\alpha \right)^n,`$   
and, similarly,

(17) 
$$R^ngR^{nm}G_m_{C^0(I)}c_1\left(L^{1\alpha }\eta ^\alpha \right)^n.$$

Now, we fix $`0<\alpha (N)<1`$ such that $`L^{1\alpha }\eta ^\alpha <1`$.

Again, by Lemma 2, $`F_m`$ and $`G_m`$ have conformal modulus greater than or equal to $`\mu (N)`$, and the same combinatorial type as $`R^mf`$ and $`R^mg`$. Therefore, by McMullen’s Theorem 9.22 in page 172 of , there are positive constants $`\nu _2(N)<1`$ and $`c_2(\mu ,N)`$ with the property that

(18) 
$$R^{nm}F_mR^{nm}G_m_{C^0(I)}c_2\nu _2^{nm}.$$

By inequalities $`(\text{4.2})`$, $`(\text{17})`$, and $`(\text{18})`$, there are constants $`c_3(b,N)=2c_1+c_2`$ and $`\nu _3(N)=\mathrm{max}\{L^{1\alpha }\eta ^\alpha ,\nu _2^{1\alpha }\}`$ such that

$$R^nfR^ng_{C^0(I)}c_3\nu _3^n.$$

By Theorem 9.4 in page 552 of , the exponential convergence implies that there is a $`C^{1+\alpha }`$ diffeomorphism which conjugates $`f`$ and $`g`$ along the closure of the corresponding orbits of the critical points for some $`\alpha (N)>0`$. ∎

The exponential convergence of the renormalization operator in the space of real analytic unimodal maps holds for every combinatorial type. Indeed, if $`f`$ and $`g`$ are real analytic infinitely renormalizable maps, by the complex bounds in Theorem A of Levin-van Strien in , there exists an integer $`N`$ such that $`R^N(f)`$ and $`R^N(g)`$ have quadratic like extensions. Then we can use Lyubich’s Theorem 1.1 in  to conclude the exponential convergence. However, as we pointed out before, this is not sufficient to give the $`C^{1+\alpha }`$ rigidity. Finally, at the moment, we cannot prove the exponential convergence of the operator for $`C^2`$ mappings with unbounded combinatorics.

Acknowledgments Alberto Adrego Pinto would like to thank IMPA, University of Warwick, and IMS at SUNY Stony Brook for their hospitality. We would like to thank Edson de Faria, and Mikhail Lyubich for useful discussions. This work has been partially supported by the Pronex Project on Dynamical Systems, Fundação para a Ciência, Praxis XXI, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and Centro de Matemática Aplicada, da Universidade do Porto, Portugal.