The Julia-Wolff-Carath\'eodory theorem in convex finite type domains

Abstract

Rudin's version of the classical Julia-Wolff-Carath\'eodory theorem is a cornerstone of holomorphic function theory in the unit ball of $\mathbb{C}^d$. In this paper we obtain a complete generalization of Rudin's theorem for a holomorphic map $f\colon D\to D'$ between convex domains of finite type. In particular, given a point $\xi\in \partial D$ with finite dilation we show that the $K$-limit of $f$ at $\xi$ exists and is a point $\eta\in \partial D'$, and we obtain asymptotic estimates for all entries of the Jacobian matrix of the differential $df_z$ in terms of the multitypes at the points $\xi$ and at $\eta$. We introduce a generalization of Bracci-Patrizio-Trapani's pluricomplex Poisson kernel which, together with the dilation at $\xi$, gives a formula for the restricted $K$-limit of the normal component of the normal derivative $\langle df_z(n_\xi),n_\eta\rangle$. Our principal tools are methods from Gromov hyperbolicity theory, a scaling in the normal direction, and the strong asymptoticity of complex geodesics. To obtain our main result we prove a conjecture by Abate on the Kobayashi type of a vector $v$, proving that it is equal to the reciprocal of the line type of $v$, and we give new extrinsic characterizations of both $K$-convergence and restricted convergence to a point $\xi\in \partial D$ in terms of the multitype at $\xi$.