On permutable meromorphic functions (Q329401)

Two functions \(f\) and \(g\) are said to be permutable if \(f\circ g = g\circ f\). A result by \textit{I. N. Baker} [Math. Z. 69, 121--163 (1958; Zbl 0178.07502)] and \textit{V. Ganapathy Iyer} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 34, 141--144 (1959; Zbl 0085.29302)] says that if a transcendental entire function \(f\) permutes with a polynomial \(g\), then \(g\) has the form \(g(z)=\omega z+c\) with a root of unity \(\omega\) and a constant \(c\). The authors first observe that results of \textit{R. Goldstein} [Aequationes Math. 4, 103--126 (1970; Zbl 0194.37904)] imply a corresponding result for meromorphic \(f\) and rational \(g\). Their main results deal with the class \(M\) of functions which are meromorphic in the Riemann sphere except for a countable closed set \(S(f)\) of essential singularities. They show that if \(f\in M\) with \(S(f)\neq \emptyset\) permutes with a non-constant rational function \(g\), then \(g\) is a Möbius transformation which is not conjugate to an irrational rotation. They also show that if \(f\in M\) is not a Möbius transformation, then the set of functions in \(M\) that permute with \(f\) is countably infinite. Finally, they give two examples of meromorphic functions that permute only with themselves and the identity map.