Some results on maps that factor through a tree

Abstract

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for a map defined on a simply-connected quasiconvex metric space to factor through a tree. In case the target is the Euclidean plane and the map is H\"older continuous with exponent bigger than 1/2, such maps can be characterized by the vanishing of some integrals over the winding number function. This in particular shows that if the target is the Heisenberg group equipped with the Carnot-Carath\'eodory metric and the H\"older exponent of the map is bigger than 2/3, the map factors through a tree.