Pick interpolation and invariant functions

We establish a connection between Pick bodies and invariant functions. We demonstrate that an invariant function can be associated with any Pick body, which determines the solvability of a given Pick interpolation problem and generalizes the Carathéodory pseudodistance. A complete description of this invariant function is provided for the open unit disc, and it is shown that it leads to another invariant function which can be regarded as a generalized Lempert function. It is also proved that these two invariant functions are equal if certain geodesics can be found. Lastly, we show that, in a very special case, a result analogous to Lempert’s theorem holds for the bidisc and the tridisc.