The distribution of zeros of finite order Bank-Laine functions (Q925176)

A Bank-Laine function \(E\) is an entire function such that whenever \(E\) has a zero at \(\zeta\) then \(E'(\zeta)=\pm 1\). Equivalently, Bank--Laine functions are products of two linearly independent solutions \(f_{1},f_{2}\) of \(f''+A(z)f=0\) where \(A(z)\) is entire, normalized as \(f_{1}f_{2}'-f_{2}f_{1}'=1\). Much of recent investigations related Bank--Laine functions have been directed towards understanding the Bank--Laine conjecture which asserts that whenever \(A(z)\) is transcendental and of finite order and \(\max (\lambda (f_{1},f_{2})<\infty\), then \(\rho (A)\) has to be an integer. Here \(\lambda (f_{j})\) stands for the exponent of convergence of the zero-sequence of \(f\). In [Transcendental Dynamics and Complex Analysis. London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series 348. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2008; Zbl 1143.30002)] \textit{D. Drasin} and \textit{J. Langley} proved that no Bank--Laine functions of finite order with a given zero-sequence \((z_{n})\) exist, provided \((z_{n})\) is a sequence of pairwise distinct real numbers tending to infinity and the non-integrated counting function \(n(r)\) of this sequence satisfies either \(n(r)=o(r)\), or all of \(z_{n}\) are strictly positive and \(n(r)=O(r)\), as \(r\rightarrow\infty\). The present paper proves a further result in this direction: Suppose \((z_{n})\) is a sequence of non-zero complex numbers with strictly increasing sequence \((| z_{n}| )\) of moduli, lying on a singly ray, and having exponent of convergence \(\lambda\geq 1\), \(\lambda\neq (2k+1)/2\), \(k\in\text{N}\). Finally, suppose that the points in the sequence \((z_{n})\) are regularly distributed in the sense that \(\lim_{r\rightarrow\infty}n(r)/r^{\lambda}=\Delta\) exists and \(0<\Delta <+\infty\). Then no Bank--Laine functions \(E\) of finite order with the zero-sequence \((z_{n})\) exist. The proof is based on deriving a contradiction from asymptotic representations of \(E'/E\), its logarithm and its derivative.