Abstract
This paper gives a precise asymptotic relation between higher-order logarithmic difference and logarithmic derivatives for meromorphic functions with order strictly less then one. This allows us to formulate a useful Wiman–Valiron type estimate for logarithmic difference of meromorphic functions of small order. We then apply this estimate to prove a classical analogue of Valiron about entire solutions to linear differential equations with polynomial coefficients for linear difference equations.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ablowitz, M.J., Halburd, R., Herbst, B.: On the extension of the Painlevé property to difference equations. Nonlinearity 13(3), 889–905 (2000)
Abramowitz, M., Stegun, I.A. (Ed.): Handbook of Mathematical Functions, National Bureau of Standards, Applied Mathematics Series 55. Washington (1964)
Apostol, T.M.: Mathematical Analysis. Wiley, Hoboken (1967)
Bergweiler, W., Langley, J.K.: Zeros of differences of meromorphic functions. Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 142(1), 133–147 (2007)
Cartan, H.: Sur les systèms de fonctions holomorphes à variétés linéaires lacunaires et leurs applications. Ann. Sci. Ecole Norm. Sup. (3) 45, 255–346 (1928)
Chiang, Y.M., Feng, S.J.: On the Nevanlinna characteristic of \(f(z+\eta )\) and difference equations in the complex plane. Ramanujan J. 16(1), 105–129 (2008)
Chiang, Y.M., Feng, S.J.: On the growth of logarithmic differences, difference quotients and logarithmic derivatives of meromorphic functions. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 361(7), 3767–3791 (2009)
Fenton, P.C.: A Glance at Wiman–Valiron Theory. Complex analysis and dynamical systems II, pp. 131–139. Contemporary mathematics, 382, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI (2005)
Gundersen, G.G.: Estimates for the logarithmic derivative of meromorphic functions, plus similar estimates. J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 37(1), 88–104 (1988)
Gundersen, G.G., Steinbart, E.M., Wang, S.P.: The possible orders of solutions of linear differential equations with polynomial coefficients. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 350(3), 1225–1247 (1998)
Halburd, R.G., Korhonen, R.J.: Difference analogue of the lemma on the logarithmic derivative with applications to difference equations. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 314(2), 477–487 (2006)
Halburd, R.G., Korhonen, R.J.: Finite-order meromorphic solutions and the discrete Painlevé equations. Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 94(2), 443–474 (2007)
Halburd, R.G., Korhonen, R.J.: Meromorphic solutions of difference equations, integrability and the discrete Painlevé equations. J. Phys. A 40(6), R1–R38 (2007)
Hayman, W.K.: Meromorphic Functions. Oxford University Press, Oxford (1964)
Hayman, W.K.: The local growth of power series : a survey of the Wiman–Valiron method. Can. Math. Bull. 17(3), 317–358 (1974)
He, Y., Xiao, X.: Algebriod Functions and Ordinary Differential Equations. Science Press, Beijing (1988). (Chinese)
Heittokangas, J., Korhonen, R., Laine, I., Rieppo, J., Tohge, K.: Complex difference equations of Malmquist type. Comput. Methods Funct. Theory 1(1), 27–39 (2001)
Ishizaki, K., Yanagihara, N.: Wiman–Valiron method for difference equations. Nagoya Math. J. 175, 75–102 (2004)
Jank, G., Volkmann, L.: Einführung in die Theorie der ganzen und meromorphen Funktionen mit Anwendungen auf Differentialgleichungen, UTB für Wissenschaft: Gross Reihe. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel (1985)
Laine, I.: Nevanlinna Theory and Complex Differential Equations, de Gruyter Studies in Mathematics, vol. 15. Walter de Gruyter & Co, Berlin (1993)
Ramis, J.-P.: About the growth of entire function solutions of linear algebraic \(q\)-difference equations. Ann. Fac. Sci. Toulouse Math. (6) 1(1), 53–94 (1992)
Valiron, G.: Lectures on the Theory of Integral Functions. Chelsea Publishing Company (1949) (translated by E. F. Collingwood)
Wittich, H.: Neuere Untersuchungen über eindeutige Analytische Funkitonen. Ergebnisse d. Math, N. S., No. 8. Springer, Berlin (1955); 2nd ed., (1968)
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank their colleague Dr. T. K. Lam for pointing out an inaccuracy on the exceptional set, now labelled as \(E^{(\eta )}\), in an earlier version of this paper. The first author would also like to acknowledge hospitality that he received during his visits to the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, in the preparation of this paper. Finally, both authors thank the referees for their constructive and detailed comments that helped to improve the readability of this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Edward B. Saff.
Dedicated to the memory of J. Milne Anderson.
The first and second authors were partially supported by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (GRF600609 and GRF601111) and the HKUST PDF Matching Fund. The second author was also partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11271352).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chiang, YM., Feng, S. On the Growth of Logarithmic Difference of Meromorphic Functions and a Wiman–Valiron Estimate. Constr Approx 44, 313–326 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00365-016-9324-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00365-016-9324-8