Book Description

In 1919, Bieberbach posed a seemingly simple conjecture. That ``simple'' conjecture challenged mathematicians in complex analysis for the following 68 years! In that time, a huge number of papers discussing the conjecture and its related problems were inspired. Finally in 1984, de Branges completed the solution. In 1989, Professor Gong wrote and published a short book in Chinese, The Bieberbach Conjecture, outlining the history of the related problems and de Branges' proof. The present volume is the English translation of that Chinese edition with modifications by the author. In particular, he includes results related to several complex variables. Open problems and a large number of new mathematical results motivated by the Bieberbach conjecture are included. Completion of a standard one-year graduate complex analysis course will prepare the reader for understanding the book. It would make a nice supplementary text for a topics course at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level.