Choose a nonzero meromorphic differential on a Riemann surface and write . Multiplication defines a linear map
It takes values in the holomorphic differential forms because . It is injective since . It is surjective because, for any holomorphic differential form , the ratio is a meromorphic function and has . Thus this map identifies with the canonical Riemann-Roch space.
Furthermore, : a meromorphic function with no poles is holomorphic on the compact Riemann surface , and hence constant by the maximum modulus principle. Applying the Riemann-Roch theorem with gives
Therefore
Let
At a finite ramification point , the uniformizer from part b satisfies . Consequently
At every other affine point, is a uniformizer and is a unit, so again .
At , take the uniformizer used above. Since times a local unit,
It follows that and , so the valuation of a rational differential is
Thus
whose degree four agrees with . For the resulting canonical divisor , the functions have pole orders at and no other poles. They therefore belong to the canonical Riemann-Roch space. Since , they form a basis:
Equivalently, multiplying by gives the basis
of holomorphic differential forms, also matching the general description of holomorphic differentials on a smooth plane curve.