Nevanlinna second main theorem 2026-10-14
For distinct fixed target values and a nonconstant meromorphic function, the truncated second main theorem has the displayed form, with outside a set of finite linear measure. The truncated Nevanlinna counting function retains only one unit at each preimage. For finite-order functions the error is ; for transcendental functions it is along the nonexceptional radii.
For a nonconstant meromorphic function on the unit disc and distinct spherical values, this version of the Nevanlinna second main theorem holds outside a set with , as . The truncated Nevanlinna counting function counts distinct preimages rather than multiplicity. The boundary-distance error is essential and need not be small relative to the characteristic. It follows from the disk Nevanlinna logarithmic derivative lemma and the growth lemma in the variable . The disk error estimate and weighted exceptional-set argument appear in mathweb.tifr.res.in/Documents/Publications/Lectures/tifr17.pdf .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 9 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use the Nevanlinna proximity function and the Nevanlinna integrated counting function for poles, counting multiplicity. If the pole order at zero is , thenBoundedness of the Nevanlinna characteristic refers to , equivalently to a uniform bound on for any fixed . This avoids the harmless origin normalization when .
The Nevanlinna first main theorem states, for every fixed finite value and every nonconstant meromorphic function on the disk,For , this is the definition of . The error is bounded independently of . Translation changes by , while Jensen's formula gives when near zero; these observations explain the first theorem.
The Nevanlinna second main theorem in the unit disc states that for distinct values on the Riemann sphere,as outside an exceptional set satisfying . The truncated Nevanlinna counting function counts each distinct preimage once. The boundary-distance error cannot simply be suppressed: on the disk it need not be . The disk error and exceptional-set estimates follow from the logarithmic-derivative estimates in mathweb.tifr.res.in/Documents/Publications/Lectures/tifr17.pdf .
Suppose first that is bounded. Since , its poles satisfy the Blaschke condition, counting their orders: let in their integrated count and use . Let be their Blaschke product, including the origin factor if necessary. Then extends to a holomorphic function on the whole disk, and givesHere the last bound follows from bounded and the uniform lower bound on .
The nonnegative subharmonic function has a finite harmonic majorant. Indeed its Poisson integrals on expanding disks dominate it by the maximum principle for subharmonic functions, increase with , and have . The Harnack inequality for harmonic functions bounds them on every compact subdisk, so their increasing limit is a finite harmonic function . Since the disk is simply connected, has a harmonic conjugate, giving a holomorphic function with . ConsequentlyThis proves the constructive half of the quotient characterization of bounded characteristic.
Conversely, if with bounded holomorphic functions and , each pole of is a zero of of at least the same order. The elementary inequality and the Nevanlinna first main theorem giveAny cancellation at an origin zero contributes only a bounded multiple of on , which is included in this . The zero function is immediate; constant nonzero is handled directly. Thus bounded characteristic is exactly a quotient of two bounded analytic functions.
An unbounded example with bounded characteristic isIt is a ratio of the bounded holomorphic functions and . More explicitly, Jensen's formula gives the mean of as zero, so , although .
Finally, set . Pointwise . Jensen's inequality for the concave logarithm givesThere is no pole term because is holomorphic. Hence the stated integral bound implies bounded characteristic. This argument in fact works for every .