On transcendental meromorphic functions with radially distributed values (Q2386533)

Let \(f(z)\) be a transcendental meromorphic function. For an unbounded subset \(X\) of the complex plane \(\mathbb{C}\), the author denotes by \(n(r,X,f =a)\) and \(\overline n(r,X,f =a)\) the number of the roots repeated according to multiplicity and distinct roots of \(f(z)- a= 0\), \(a\in\overline{\mathbb{C}}\), in \(X\cap\{z: |z|< r\}\). The integrated counting functions \(N(r,X,f = a)\) and \(\overline N(r,X, f =a)\) are defined in the usual manner. The author considers \(q\) pair \(\{\alpha_j,\beta_j\}\) of real numbers such that \(-\pi\leq \alpha_1< \beta_1\leq\alpha_2< \beta_2\leq\cdots\leq \alpha_q< \beta_q\leq\pi\) and defines \(\omega= \max_j\{\pi/(\beta_j- \alpha_j)\}\). The author obtains several theorems in this paper. One of the main result is the following. Let \(f(z)\) be a transcendental meromorphic function of finite lower order \(\mu\). Suppose that \(f(z)\) satisfies \(\delta:=\delta(a,f^{(p)})> 0\) for some \(a\in\overline{\mathbb{C}}\) and an integer \(p\). If for \(q\) pair \(\{\alpha_j, \beta_j\}\) of real numbers given above and for an integer \(k> 0\), it holds \[ n(r,Y,f= 0)+\overline n(r,Y,f^{(k)}= 1)= o(T(dr, f)),\quad d\geq 1, \] for \(Y= \bigcup^q_{j=1} \{z: \alpha\leq\arg z\leq\beta_j\}\) and \(\sum^q_{j=1} (\alpha_{j+1}- \beta_j)< (4/\beta)\arcsin \sqrt{\delta/2}\), \(\alpha_{q+1}= 2\pi+ \alpha_1\), where \(\beta= \max\{\omega,\mu\}\), then \(\lambda(f)\leq\omega\). The methods for the proofs are from the Nevanlinna theory in the angular domains, and Baernstein's theorem on the spread relation. The author comments on a singular direction in terms of the Nevanlinna characteristic function. A radial \(\arg z= 0\) is called \(T\) direction of \(f(z)\) provided that given any \(b\in\overline{\mathbb{C}}\), possibly with the exception of at most two values for arbitrary small \(\varepsilon> 0\) it holds \[ \limsup_{r\to\infty} {N(r,Z,f= b)\over T(r,f)}> 0, \] where \(Z= \{z:\theta- \varepsilon< \arg z<\theta+\varepsilon\}\).