Extreme nonmonotoneity of the Picard principle (Q1092283)

A density P on the punctured unit disk \(\Omega\) : \(0<| z| <1\) considered in the punctured plane \(0<| z| <\infty\) as a whole space is a nonnegative locally Hölder continuous function P(z) on \({\bar \Omega}\): \(0<| z| \leq 1\). With a density P on \(\Omega\) we associate the class PP(\(\Omega\) ;\(\partial \Omega)\) of nonnegative real valued continuous functions u on \({\bar \Omega}\): \(0<| z| \leq 1\) vanishing on \(\partial \Omega:\) \(| z| =1\) such that u satisfies \(\Delta u(z)=P(z)u(z)\) on \(\Omega\) where \(\Delta\) is the Laplacian. We also denote by \(PP_ 1(\Omega;\partial \Omega)\) the subclass of PP(\(\Omega\) ;\(\partial \Omega)\) consisting of functions u with the normalization \(-\int _{\partial \Omega}(\partial /\partial | z|)u(z)| dz| =2\pi.\) The Picard dimension dim P of a density P on \(\Omega\) at \(z=0\) is the cardinal number of the set of extreme points of the convex set \(PP_ 1(\Omega;\partial \Omega):\) dim P\(=\#(ex.PP_ 1(\Omega;\partial \Omega))\). The present authors [Kodai Math. J. 7, 1-15 (1984; Zbl 0554.31006)] showed that dim P ranges over all positive integers, the cardinal number \({\mathcal A}\) of the countably infinite set, and the cardinal number \({\mathfrak c}\) of continuum, and \(1\leq \dim p\leq {\mathfrak c}\) in general. We say that the Picard principle is valid for a density P on \(\Omega\) at \(z=0\) if dim P\(=1\). One might intuitively suspect that the Picard principle is valid for a density P on \(\Omega\) if \(P\leq Q\) for a density Q on \(\Omega\) for which the Picard principle is valid. This was denied by the present authors [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 292, 629-644 (1985; Zbl 0598.30060)] by showing the existence of a pair (P,Q) of densities on \(\Omega\) such that \(P\leq Q\), dim P\(=2\), and yet dim Q\(=1\). The purpose of the present paper is to further deny the above intuition completely by pointing out the following rather surprising phenomenon: There exists a density Q on \(\Omega\) for any given density P on \(\Omega\) such that \(P\leq Q\) and yet dim Q\(=1\) no matter how dim P is large or not.