No label defined (Q4781973)

Let \(f\) be a transcendental meromorphic function in the complex plane \(\mathbb C\). The stable set or Fatou set \(F_f\) of \(f\) is the set of all \(z \in \mathbb C\) such that the iterates \(f^n\) are defined and form a normal family in a neighborhood of \(z\). The unstable set or Julia set \(J_f\) of \(f\) is the complement of \(F_f\) in \(\widehat{\mathbb C}\). Thus, \(F_f\) is open, \(J_f\) is closed, and both sets are completely invariant. The singular set of \(f\) consists of those values at which \(f\) is not a regular covering. These are either critical values or asymptotic values. A holomorphic family of meromorphic functions with finite singular set over a complex manifold \(\Lambda\) is a map \(f \colon \Lambda \times \mathbb C \to \widehat{\mathbb C}\) holomorphic in \(\Lambda\) and meromorphic in \(\mathbb C\) given by \((\lambda,z) \mapsto f_\lambda(z)\). In this paper the authors investigate the so-called tangent family \[ \mathcal F = \{f_\lambda(z) = \lambda\tan{z}\}. \] This is a holomorphic family over the punctured complex plane \(\mathbb C^* = \mathbb C \setminus \{0\}\). The singular sets \(S_{f_\lambda}\) contain exactly two asymptotic values, the omitted values \(\pm i\lambda\). All functions \(f_\lambda\) have the same poles, namely \(p_k = {\pi \over 2}+k\pi\), \(k=0,1,2,\dotsc\) on the positive real axis and \(-p_k\) on the negative real axis. This family was explored to some extent by \textit{R. L. Devaney} and \textit{L. Keen} [Dynamical Systems, Proc. Spec. Year, College Park/Maryland, Lect. Notes Math. 1342, 105-111 (1988 Zbl 0662.30019)] and \textit{L. Keen} and \textit{J. Kotus} [Conform. Geom. Dyn. 1, 28-57 (1997 Zbl 0884.30019)]. Here, the authors consider the set of hyperbolic maps in \(\mathcal F\) which can be characterized as \[ \mathcal H = \{\lambda \in \mathbb C^* : f_\lambda \text{ has an attracting periodic cycle}\}. \] They give an analytic description of the parameter space in terms of the connected components of \(\mathcal H\) which are called hyperbolic components. An example of such a component is the punctured unit disk \(\Delta^*\). For \(\lambda \in \Delta^*\) the origin is the single attracting fixed point of \(f_\lambda\). Furthermore, the stable set is a single, connected, infinitely connected, invariant component, and the Julia set is a Cantor set. The main results of this paper are well summarized in the following three theorems. Theorem 1. Let \(\Omega\) be a hyperbolic component except \(\Delta^*\). Then there is a conformal homeomorphism \(M \colon \Omega \to \mathbb H\) between \(\Omega\) and the upper half plane \(\mathbb H\). Moreover, \(M\) extends continuously to the boundary \(\partial\Omega\) such that the point \(i\infty\) is the unique boundary point of \(\mathbb H\) corresponding to a so-called virtual center of \(\Omega\). Theorem 2. For each \(k=0,1,2,\dotsc\), the intervals \(\pm I_k = \pm (ip_k,ip_{k+1})\) of the imaginary axis contain hyperbolic component pairs of every even period. Furthermore, there is a lower bound on the number of such pairs in \(I_k\) that depends on \(k\), and the deployment of these components can be described. In order to state the third theorem we need some notation on period doubling. Standard period doubling occurs at a parabolic point when an attracting cycle bifurcates to a cycle of double period. Non-standard period doubling occurs at a parabolic point when an attracting cycle bifurcates to a pair of cycles of the same period. Theorem 3. Both standard and non-standard period doubling occur in the tangent family. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0997.00021].