On Painlevé's equations I, II and IV (Q5926443)

Recently, there has been some activity to make the classical reasoning complete to show that all solutions to the Painlevé differential equations PI, PII and PIV are meromorphic in the complex plane. Originally, this reasoning stems from \textit{P. Painlevé} [Bull. Soc. Math. Fr. 28, 201-261 (1900; JFM 31.0337.03)] having been repeated, in slightly modified versions, in several well-known text-books. For more details, see \textit{A. Hinkkanen} and \textit{I. Laine} [J. Anal. Math. 79, 345-377 (1999; Zbl 0986.34074)], which includes an analysis of the deficiencies in the preceding references, and completes the proof of meromorphicity of solutions to PI and PII. The present paper offers a new proof of the fact that all solutions to PIV are meromorphic in the complex plane. The method of this new proof is based on some differential inequality techniques. As shown in the present paper, this technique may be applied to PI and PII as well, thus offering an alternative proof for these equations. The author describes, in general terms, how the differential inequality method could be applied to other differential equations as well, like PIII, PV and PVI. However, all details of this program remain to be carried out, probably supported by some computer algebra software. We remark that a related proof has been worked out for a modified form of PIII in a forthcoming paper by A. Hinkkanen and I. Laine.