Past exam of the metric spaces and complex analysis course of the University of Oxford / 2021 / 5 / a

Start with the partial fraction decompositionFor $1<|z|<2$, expand the first fraction in negative powers and the second in nonnegative powers using the geometric series:Thus the Laurent expansion on this annulus isFor $|z|>2$, both fractions expand in negative powers:Combining the two geometric series givesThe $z^{-1}$ coefficient is zero, consistently with the original rational function being $O(z^{-2})$ at infinity. Each displayed series converges absolutely on its stated annulus and uniformly on every compact subset of that annulus.

The Liouville theorem states that every bounded entire function is constant.

By the Laurent theorem, $f$ has a unique Laurent series $f(z)={\sum }_{n=-\infty }^{\infty }{c}_n{z}^n$ on $R<|z|<S$. Split it intoHere $g$ is holomorphic on $D_S$ and $h$ is holomorphic on $A_{R,\infty }$. To check their extended regions of convergence explicitly, fix $r\in (R,S)$ and put $M_r={\max }_{|z|=r}|f(z)|$. The Laurent coefficient formula givesThe first bound ensures convergence uniformly on every closed disk $|z|\le r^{\prime }<r$; letting $r$ range up to $S$ covers $D_S$. The second gives convergence uniformly on $|z|\ge r^{\prime \prime }>r$; letting $r$ range down to $R$ covers $A_{R,\infty }$. Locally uniform convergence of these power series, in $z$ and $1/z$ respectively, proves the claimed holomorphy. On the original annulus their sum is $f$.

The second estimate also proves $h(z)\to 0$ as $|z|\to \infty$: for any fixed $r\in (R,S)$ and $|z|>r$,

For uniqueness under this condition, suppose $f=g_1+h_1=g_2+h_2$. Define $F=g_1-g_2$ on $D_S$ and $F=h_2-h_1$ on $A_{R,\infty }$. The two definitions agree on the overlap, and their domains cover $\mathbb{C}$, so they define an entire function. Moreover, $F(z)\to 0$ at infinity. It is bounded outside a large disk by this limit, and inside by continuity and the extreme value theorem. The Liouville theorem makes $F$ constant, and its limit makes that constant zero. Hence $g_1=g_2$ and $h_1=h_2$. Without the limiting condition, adding a constant to $g$ and subtracting it from $h$ would preserve the decomposition.

Suppose $w\in \mathbb{C}$ were omitted by $g$. Thenwould be an entire function. The reverse triangle inequality gives $|g(z)-w|\ge |g(z)|-|w|\to \infty$ as $|z|\to \infty$, so $F(z)\to 0$ there. On a sufficiently large closed disk, $F$ is bounded by continuity and the extreme value theorem; outside it, the limit gives a bound. The Liouville theorem therefore makes $F$ constant, and the limit forces $F\equiv 0$.

That is impossible, since $1/(g(z)-w)$ is nonzero at every finite $z$. No value $w$ can be omitted, and hence