The Schwarzian derivative of a map f(z) from the upper half plane to a right angled circular quadrilateral that sends the points -1, 0, 1 and infinity to the vertices of the quadrilateral (and thus making it conformally a square) is given by the expression
From it, one can find this map by taking the quotient of two solutions of the linear ordinary differential equation u”(z) + 2 Sf(z) u(z)=0. This is one step more complicated that the hypergeometric differential equation needed for triangles.
The parameter “a” is the accessory parameter. We have seen last week that there is a two-parameter family of right angled circular quadrilaterals, and the parameter a singles out the 1-dimensional subfamily of those quadrilaterals that are conformally squares.
In these images I have used a Möbius transformation to move three of the vertices to the points (1,0), (0,1) and (-1,0). The fourth vertex is then somewhere on the lower unit circle.
This is somewhat remarkable: First, it shows that we can find a conformal square for any such choice of four points (the first three normalized, the fourth on the half-circle). Secondly, it appears that the second family of right circular quadrilaterals we found last week where the fourth corner would move on line through (-1,0) and (1,0) does not contain any conformal squares. Thirdly, remember again from last week that for any such choice of four vertices, there is a 1-parameter family of right circular quadrilaterals with these points as vertices, but only one of them is conformally a square.
Of course one can also play with the angles. As a teaser for what’s to come next week, below is an anti-square.
The Inner Frame 