Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 May 2004
In this paper we consider the complexification of the Arnold standard family of circle maps given by $\widetilde F_{\alpha,\epsilon}(u)=ue^{i\alpha} e^{({\epsilon}/{2}) (u-{1}/{u})}$, with $\alpha=\alpha(\epsilon)$ chosen so that $\widetilde F_{\alpha(\epsilon),\epsilon}$ restricted to the unit circle has a prefixed rotation number $\theta$ belonging to the set of Brjuno numbers. In this case, it is known that $\widetilde F_{\alpha(\epsilon),\epsilon}$ is analytically linearizable if $\epsilon$ is small enough and so it has a Herman ring $\widetilde U_{\epsilon}$ around the unit circle. Using Yoccoz's estimates, one has that the size$\widetilde R_\epsilon$ of $\widetilde U_{\epsilon}$ (so that $\widetilde U_{\epsilon}$ is conformally equivalent to $\{u\in{\mathbb C}: 1/\widetilde R_\epsilon < |u| < \widetilde R_\epsilon\}$) goes to infinity as $\epsilon\to 0$, but one may ask for its asymptotic behavior.
We prove that $\widetilde R_\epsilon=({2}/{\epsilon})(R_0+\mathcal{O}(\epsilon\log\epsilon))$, where R0 is the conformal radius of the Siegel disk of the complex semistandard map $G(z)=ze^{i\omega}e^z$, where $\omega= 2\pi\theta$. In the proof we use a very explicit quasiconformal surgery construction to relate $\widetilde F_{\alpha(\epsilon),\epsilon}$ and G, and hyperbolic geometry to obtain the quantitative result.