Brück conjecture with hyper-order \(\sigma_{\mathbf {2}}(f) < \mathbf {1}\) and linear differential polynomials (Q1635078)

\textit{R. Brück} [Result. Math. 30, No. 1--2, 21--24 (1996; Zbl 0861.30032)] proposed the following conjecture: Let \(f\) be a non-constant entire function of finite hyper-order \[ \sigma_2(f)=\limsup_{r\to\infty}\frac{\log\log\log M(f,r)}{\log r} \] that is not a positive integer. If \(f\) and \(f'\) share a finite value \(a\) CM, then \(f'-a=c(f-a)\), for some constant \(c\neq0\). The main purpose of this paper is to confirm the Brück conjecture for the case when the hyper-order of \(f\) is \(\sigma_2(f)<1\), and extend \(f'\) to a linear differential polynomial. The obtained results improve and generalize some results of \textit{G. G. Gundersen} and \textit{L.-Z. Yang} [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 223, No. 1, 88--95 (1998; Zbl 0911.30022)], \textit{Z.-X. Chen} and \textit{K. H. Shon} [Taiwanese J. Math. 8, No. 2, 235--244 (2004; Zbl 1062.30032)], \textit{T. Cao} [Bull. Aust. Math. Soc. 93, No. 2, 248--259 (2016; Zbl 1379.30016)] and others. The authors also investigate the hyper-order solutions of a complex differential equation \[ a_kf^{(k+1)}+\cdots+a_1f''+A(z)f'+B(z)f=0,\quad k\in\mathbb{N}. \]