Proof of the oval conjecture for planar partition functions (Q854821)

A function \(f:{\mathbb R}^ 2 \to {\mathbb R}^ 2\) is called planar if the mapping \(f_ d:{\mathbb R}^ 2 \to {\mathbb R}^ 2, x \mapsto f(x+d) - f(x)\) is bijective for all \(d \in {\mathbb R}^ 2 \setminus \{0\}\). A \(C^ 1\)-function \(f:{\mathbb R}^ 2 \to {\mathbb R}^ 2\) is called a partition function if the mapping \(Df_ d:{\mathbb R}^ 2 \to {\mathbb R}^ 2, x \mapsto Df(x)\cdot d\) is bijective for all \(d \in {\mathbb R}^ 2 \setminus \{0\}\). With both types of functions one can associate an affine plane with point set \({\mathbb R}^ 2 \times {\mathbb R}^ 2\) and with the set of vertical lines \(\{c\} \times {\mathbb R}^ 2, c \in {\mathbb R}^ 2\), as one parallel class of lines. The other lines are the translates of the graph of \(f\) if \(f\) is planar or the translates of the tangent spaces to the graph of \(f\) if \(f\) is a partition function. If \(f\) is a planar partition function one thus gets a pair of affine planes with the same point set and one common parallel class of lines. The oval conjecture states that these two planes form an oval pair, which means that each non-vertical line of one plane is an affine oval in the other. This conjecture was recently proved by \textit{D. Betten} and \textit{R. Löwen} [Eur J. Comb. 26, 683--692 (2005; Zbl 1080.51006)] under the additional assumption that \(f\) is a proper map. The author fills a gap in this paper and he shows that the result is true without the assumption that \(f\) is proper.