On Bank-Laine functions (Q2378579)

An entire function \(E\) is called a Bank--Laine function, provided that \(E'(z)=\pm c\neq 0\) at all zeros of \(E\). Of course, we may assume that \(c=1\) by normalization. Bank--Laine functions are closely related to second-order linear differential equations \(w''+A(z)w=0\) in the complex plane, being products of two linearly independent solutions of this equations, and conversely, see [\textit{J. K. Langley}, Arch. Math., 71, 233--239 (1998; Zbl 0930.30028)] for more details. Moreover, \(z\) is said to be Bank--Laine point of an entire function \(F\), provided \(F(z)=0\) and \(F'(z)=\pm 1\). The key result in this paper, improving previous ones due to \textit{Langley} and to \textit{Whitehead}, reads (in rough terms) as follows: Suppose \(E\) is a Bank--Laine function (related to a non-constant polynomial \(A\) in the corresponding \(w''+A(z)w=0\)) and \(F\) is an entire function having the same zeros as \(E\) in a sector \(S\) in the complex plane. Moreover, suppose that the number of Bank--Laine points among these zeros of \(F\) has a positive lower density. Then either \(F=\pm E\), or \(E,F\) are of a special form. It it shown by a counterexample that the assumption that \(A\) is non-constant cannot be removed.