Lempert Theorem for stronly linearly convex domains with smooth boundaries

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present a detailed and slightly modified version of the proof of the Lempert Theorem in the case of non-planar stronlgy linearly convex domains with C^2 smooth boundaries. The original Lempert's proof is presented only in proceedings of a conference with a very limited access and at some places it was quite sketchy. We were encouraged by some colleagues to prepare an extended version of the proof in which all doubts could be removed and some of details of the proofs could be simplified. We hope to have done it below. Certainly the idea of the proof belongs entirely to Lempert. Additional motivation for presenting the proof is the fact shown recently, that the so-called symmetrized bidisc may be exhausted by stronlgy linearly convex domains. On the other hand it cannot be exhausted by domains biholomorphic to convex ones. Therefore, the equality of the Lempert function and the Carath\'eodory distance for strongly linearly convex domains does not follow directly from the convex case.