Let $A \subset \mathbb{C}$ be an topological annulus, i.e. a region of $\mathbb{C}$ bounded by two disjoint Jordan curves.
Let $B \subset \mathbb{C}$ be a quadrilateral, i.e. a topological disc with four distinct marked points $(z_1,z_2,z_3,z_4)$ arranged anticlockwise on the boundary.
Both annuli and quadrilaterals, as defined above, have a conformal invariant, in both cases known as the modulus. Let $A_R$ be a geometrical annulus with inner boundary a circle of radius $1$ and outer boundary a circle of radius $R$. If $A$ can be mapped conformally and bijectively onto $A_R$ we say that $A$ has modulus $\ln{R}/2\pi$. Likewise, let $Q_m$ be a geometrical rectangle with vertices $(0, m, i+m, i)$, we say that $B$ has modulus $m$ if there exists a conformal bijection mapping $B$ onto $Q_m$ with $z_1$,$z_2$,$z_3$, and $z_4$ being mapped onto $0$, $m$, $i+m$, and $i$ respectively. The two concepts are linked by the fact that if we take a geometric annulus centred on the origin with modulus $m$, remove all the points on the positive real line from the annulus, and then take the preimage under the exponential map, we obtain (infinitely many copies of) a geometric rectangle also with modulus $m$.
My questions relate to the degree in which the choice of branch cut is arbitrary.
More particularly:
Let $C \subset \mathbb{C}$ be another annulus and represent $C$ as the union $R_1 \cup R_2$ of two simply connected regions with the intersection $R_1 \cap R_2$ consisting of two smooth simple curves $\gamma_1$ and $\gamma_2$, disjoint from each other and each of which has one end point, $x_1$ and $x_2$ respectively, on the inner boundary and one end point, $y_1$ and $y_2$ on the outer boundary. Assume we have a continuous function $f_1$ mapping $R_1$ onto $A$, and such that the restriction of $f_1$ to the interior of $R_1$ is a conformal bijection and such that the image of $\gamma_1$ and $\gamma_2$ is a single simple curve from the inner to the outer boundary of $A$, with $f_1(x_1) = f_1(x_2)$ and $f_1(y_1) = f_1(y_2)$. Similarly assume that $f_2$ is a bijection mapping $R_2$ onto $B$, conformal on the interior, with $\gamma_1$ being mapped onto the component of the boundary joining $z_1$ and $z_2$ and $\gamma_2$ being mapped to the component of the boundary joining $z_3$ and $z_4$. See the diagram below.
My first question is whether the modulus of $C$ is determined entirely by the modulus of $A$ and $B$? (This seems unlikely to me, but no harm in asking)
Secondly, if this is not the case can we give any bound for the modulus of $C$ given the modulus of $A$ and $B$.
Thirdly, are there any conditions we can impose to reduce these bounds? For example specifying that the curves $\gamma_1$ and $\gamma_2$ meet the boundary curves of $C$ orthogonally.
(source: qmul.ac.uk)