Finite branch solutions to Painlevé VI around a fixed singular point (Q2474309)

The paper studies local solutions to the sixth Painlevé equation VI around a fixed singularity \(z=z_0 \in \{0,1,\infty\}.\) It is shown that, for any solution \(q(z)\) finitely many-valued around \(z=z_0\in \{0,1,\infty\},\) the point \(z_0\) is an algebraic branch point of \(q(z)\), that is, e.g. around \(z=z_0=0,\) \(q(z)\) admits a convergent Puiseux series expression of the form \(q(z)=\sum_{j\geq j_0} c_j z^{j/n}\) \((j_0 \in \mathbb{Z}, n\in \mathbb {N})\). In particular, \(q(z)\) is an algebraic solution if and only if \(q(z)\) is finitely many-valued on \(\mathbb{P}^1 \setminus \{0,1,\infty\}.\) The proof relies on an effective combination of global and local tools: algebraic geometry of Painlevé VI, Riemann-Hilbert correspondence, geometry and dynamics on cubic surfaces, resolutions of Kleinian singularities, and power geometry of algebraic differential equations. The result of this paper seems to play an important role in the classification of all algebraic solutions to VI, which is still an open problem.