This paper addresses a free boundary problem for a steady, uniform patch of vorticity surrounding a single flat plate of zero thickness and finite length. Exact solutions to this problem have previously been found in terms of conformal maps represented by Cauchy-type integrals. Here, however, it is demonstrated how, by considering an associated circular-arc polygon and using ideas from automorphic function theory, these maps can be expressed in a simple non-integral form.

Let , where η(τ) is the Dedekind eta function. We show that if τ0 is an imaginary quadratic argument and m is an odd integer, then is an algebraic integer dividing This is a generalization of a result of Berndt, Chan and Zhang. On the other hand, when K is an imaginary quadratic field and θK is an element of K with Im(θK) > 0 which generates the ring of integers of K over ℤ, we find a sufficient condition on m which ensures that is a unit.

Loosely speaking, a function (meromorphic or harmonic) from the hyperbolic disk of the complex plane to the Riemann sphere is normal if its dilatation is bounded. We call a function strongly normal if its dilatation vanishes at the boundary. A sequential property of this class of functions is proved. Certain integral conditions, known to be sufficient for normality, are shown to be in fact sufficient for strong normality.