Nonexistence of a subnormal solution of certain second order periodic differential equations (Q1947314): Difference between revisions

The second-order homogeneous linear periodic differential equation \[ f'' + P(e^z) f' + Q(e^z) f = 0, \tag{1} \] where \(P\) and \(Q\) are non-constant polynomials, is studied. A meromorphic function \(f \neq 0\) is subnormal if \(\sigma_e(f) = 0\), where \[ \sigma_e(f) = \limsup_{r \to \infty} \frac{\log T(r,f)}{r} \] is called the \(e\)-type order of \(f\). Subnormal solutions of (1) were studied by \textit{H. Wittich} [Nagoya Math. J. 30, 29--37 (1967; Zbl 0219.34005)], and \textit{G. G. Gunderson} and \textit{E. M. Steinbart} [Result. Math. 25, No. 3--4, 270--289 (1994; Zbl 0804.34009)]. The author proves three theorems regarding the (non-)existence of non-trivial subnormal solutions of equation (1) and equation (2) below. The first theorem (Theorem 1.4) completes a result by \textit{Z.-X. Chen} and \textit{K. H. Shon} [Taiwanese J. Math. 14, No. 2, 611--628 (2010; Zbl 1202.30050)] for the case \(\deg P = \deg Q\), stating conditions when no such solutions exist. The other two theorems proven in the paper are concerned with the equation \[ f'' + P(e^{\alpha z}) f' + Q(e^{\beta z}) f = 0, \tag{2} \] where now \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\) are non-zero complex constants. The theorems state that equation (2) has no non-trivial subnormal solution unless \(n \alpha = m \beta\), where \(n = \deg P\) and \(m = \deg Q\), and every non-trivial solution has hyper-order \(1\). The proofs use tools and arguments from value-distribution theory and are divided into the cases (i) \(\arg \alpha \neq \arg \beta\), (ii) \(n \alpha = c m \beta\), \((0 < c < 1)\), together comprising Theorem 1.5; and (iii) \(n \alpha = c m \beta \quad (c > 1)\), comprising Theorem 1.6, the proof for the last case being the most involved one.