Entire solutions of \(f(kz)=kf(z)f^\prime(z)\) (Q428961)

The work under review is devoted to the study of entire solutions to \[ f(kz)=kf(z)f'(z). \] The author proves as a first result that a transcendental solution of this equation has the form \(f(z)=z+z(bz^{p}+\ldots)\), where \(p\) is a positive integer, \(b\neq0\) and \(k\in\mathcal{K}_{p}:=\{z:z^{p}=p+2\}\). In particular, if \(k\notin\mathcal{K}:=\cup_{p=1}^{\infty}\mathcal{K}_{p}\), then its only formal solutions are the formal series with null coefficients and the formal series \(0+1z+0z^2+0z^3+\dots\,\). In a second result, some more information on the solutions of the equation considered is given when \(k\in\mathcal{K}\). Indeed, for each positive integer \(p\) there is a unique real entire function \(F_{p}(z)=z(1+z^{p}+b_{2}z^{2p}+b_{3}z^{3p}+\dots)\) which solves it for each \(k\in\mathcal{K}_{p}\). Further, if \(k\in\mathcal{K}_{p}\), then the only trascendental solutions are the linear conjugates of \(F_{p}\) (\(f\) and \(g\) are said to be linearly conjugated if there exists \(c\neq0\) such that \(g(x)=cf(x/c)\)). The solutions of the equation considered are periodic when \(k=\pm2\) (that is, \(p=2\)). It is natural to consider periodicity when \(p\neq2\). The last result in the paper proves that \(F_{p}\) is not periodic when \(p\geq3\).