Rational maps as Schwarzian primitives (Q310202)

For a domain \(U\subset\mathbb C\) and a non-constant meromorphic function \(f:U\to\hat{\mathbb C}\), its Schwarzian derivative \(S_f\) is the meromorphic function \(S_f(z)=f'''(z)/f'(z)-3/2(f''(z)/f'(z))^2\) if \(f(z)\neq\infty\), and \(S_f(z)=\lim_{w\to z}S_f(w)\) if \(f(z)=\infty\). The authors give a necessary and sufficient condition for a meromorphic quadratic differential \(\phi(z)dz^2\) on the Riemann sphere to be the Schwarzian derivative of a rational map. Define inductively polynomials \(Y_1=0\) and \(Y_d(x_1,\dots,x_{d-1})\) for \(d\geq2\) by the following equation \[ \begin{vmatrix} x_1 & 2\cdot 1\cdot(1-d) & 0 & \hdots & 0 \\ x_2 & x_1 & 2\cdot 2\cdot(2-d) & \hdots & 0 \\ \vdots & \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\ x_{d-1} & x_{d-2} & x_{d-3} & \hdots & 2(d-1)(-1) \\ x_d & x_{d-1} & x_{d-2} & \hdots & x_1 \end{vmatrix}=N(x_d-Y_d(x_1,\dots,x_{d-1})) \] with a constant \(N\neq0\). Theorem 1.1. Let \(\phi(z)dz^2\) be a meromorphic quadratic differential on the Riemann sphere. If \(\phi(z)=S_f(z)\) for some rational map \(f\), then all poles of the quadratic differential are of order two, and around each critical point \(c\in\mathbb C\) of \(f\) with local degree \(d_c\geq2\), the local Laurent series expansion for \(\phi(z)\) has the form \[ (z-c)^2\phi(z)=\frac{1-d_c^2}{2}+a_1(z-c)+\cdots,\quad a_{d_c}=Y_{d_c}(a_1,\dots,a_{d_c-1}). \] The same relation also holds at \(\infty\) (if it is a critical point of \(f\)) after the change of coordinates by \(1/z\). Conversely, assume that \(\phi(z)dz^2\) is a meromorphic quadratic differential such that, for each pole \(c\), except possibly one, it takes the above local expression for some integer \(d_c\geq2\), and furthemore the exceptional pole has order 2. Then \(\phi(z)\) is the Schwarzian derivative of some rational function \(f\), having the above local expression for every pole. The critical points of \(f\) are precisely the poles of \(\phi(z)dz^2\), with the integer \(d_c\) being the local degree of \(f\) at \(c\). The authors deduce more explicit conditions on the coefficients of \(\phi\) than Theorem 1.1 in the case when all the poles of \(\phi(z)\) except one have \(d_c=2\). Besides, the authors solve the problem of the pole-dependency of the Schwarzian derivative for cubic rational maps of the form \((z^3+a_1z+a_0)/(z^2+b_1z+b_0)\) with 4 distinct critical points.