A generalization of Brück's conjecture for a class of entire functions (Q498381)

\textit{R. Brück} posed the following conjecture [Result. Math. 30, No. 1--2, 21--24 (1996; Zbl 0861.30032)]. Let \(f\) be an entire function which is not constant. If \(\rho_1(f)<\infty\), \(\rho_1(f)\not\in \mathbb N\), and if \(f\) and \(f'\) share one value \(a\in \mathbb C\) CM, then \[ \frac{f'-a}{f-a}=c \] for some constant \(c\in \mathbb C\setminus\{0\}\). Note that \(\rho_1(f)\) is the hyper-order of an entire function \(f\). Brück proved that the conjecture is true for the case \(a=0\). In the present paper, the authors consider uniqueness problems in connection with the Brück conjecture. One of the results that they show is the following. Let \(a\) and \(b\) be two distinct polynomials, and let \(f\) be a transcendental entire function. Suppose that \(f\) and \(f'\) share \(a\) IM, and \(f(z)-b=0\) \(\Rightarrow\) \(f'(z)-b=0\). Then the following holds: (1) \(f=f'\) or (2) \(\frac{f'-a}{f-a}=\frac{b'-a}{b-a}=\frac{P'}{P}+Q\) and \(f=b+ Pe^Q\), where \(P\) and \(Q\) are two polynomials.