Meromorphic solutions of algebraic difference equations (Q1615980)

The difference equation \[ (\Delta f(z))^2=A(z)(f(z)f(z+1)-B(z)), \tag{1} \] where \(A(z)\) and \(B(z)\) are meromorphic functions, possesses a continuous limit to the differential equation \[ (w')^2=A(z)(w^2-1), \tag{2} \] which extends to solutions in certain cases. In addition, if (1) possesses two distinct transcendental meromorphic solutions, it is shown that these solutions satisfy an algebraic relation, and that, under some conditions, their growth behavior is almost the same in the sense of Nevanlinna. Examples are given to discuss the sharpness of the results. The considered properties are counterparts of the corresponding results for the algebraic differential equation (2).