On Rigidity and Convergence of Circle Patterns

Abstract

Two planar embedded circle patterns with the same combinatorics and the same intersection angles can be considered to define a discrete conformal map. We show that two locally finite circle patterns covering the unit disc are related by a hyperbolic isometry. Furthermore, we prove an analogous rigidity statement for the complex plane if all exterior intersection angles of neighboring circles are uniformly bounded away from 0. Finally, we study a sequence of two circle patterns with the same combinatorics each of which approximates a given simply connected domain. Assume that all kites are convex and all angles in the kites are uniformly bounded and the radii of one circle pattern converge to 0. Then a subsequence of the corresponding discrete conformal maps converges to a Riemann map between the given domains.