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Jeremy Orloff
3.1 Introduction
The basic theme here is that complex line integrals will mirror much of what we’ve seen for
multivariable calculus line integrals. But, just like working with eiθ is easier than working
with sine and cosine, complex line integrals are easier to work with than their multivariable
analogs. At the same time they will give deep insight into the workings of these integrals.
3.2 Ingredients
You should note that this notation looks just like integrals of a real variable. We don’t need
the vectors and dot products of line integrals in R2 . Also, make sure you understand that
the product f (γ(t))γ 0 (t) is just a product of complex numbers.
An alternative notation uses dz = dx + idy to write
Z Z
f (z) dz = (u + iv)(dx + idy) (2)
γ γ
Let’s check that Equations 1 and 2 are the same. Equation 2 is really a multivariable
calculus expression, so thinking of γ(t) as (x(t), y(t)) it becomes
Z Z b
f (z) dz = (u(x(t), y(t)) + iv(x(t), y(t))(x0 (t) + iy 0 (t))dt
γ a
But, u(x(t), y(t)) + iv(x(t), y(t)) = f (γ(t)) and x0 (t) + iy 0 (t) = γ 0 (t) so the right hand side
of this equation is
Z b
f (γ(t))γ 0 (t) dt.
a
1
3 LINE INTEGRALS AND CAUCHY’S THEOREM 2
answer: We parametrize the unit circle by γ(θ) = eiθ , where 0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π. We have
γ 0 (θ) = ieiθ . So, the integral becomes
Z 2π Z 2π 2π
ei3θ
Z
2 2iθ iθ 3iθ
z dz = e ie dθ = ie dθ = = 0.
γ 0 0 3 0
Z
Example 3.4. Compute zdz along the unit circle.
answer: Parametrize C: γ(t) = eit , with 0 ≤ t ≤ 2π. So, γ 0 (t) = ieit . Putting this into the
integral gives Z Z 2π Z 2π
z dz = eit i eit dt = i dt = 2πi.
C 0 0
Another way to state the fundamental theorem is: if f has an antiderivative F , i.e. F 0 = f
then Z
f (z) dz = F (z1 ) − F (z0 ).
γ
Z
Example 3.6. Redo z 2 dz, with γ the straight line from 0 to 1 + i.
γ
answer: We can check by inspection that z 2 has an antiderivative F (z) = z 3 /3. Therefore
the fundamental theorem implies
1+i
z 3 (1 + i)3 2i(1 + i)
Z
2
z dz = = = .
γ 3
0 3 3
Z
Example 3.7. Redo z 2 dz, with γ the unit circle.
γ
answer: Again, since z 2 had antiderivative z 3 /3 we can evaluate the integral by plugging
the endpoints of γ into the z 3 /3. Since the endpoints are the same the resulting difference
will be 0!
We’ve defined an anlytic function as one having a complex derivative. The following theorem
shows that if f is analytic then so is f 0 . Thus, there are derivatives all the way down!
Theorem 3.8. If f (z) is analytic then so is f 0 (z).
Proof. To show this we have to prove that f 0 (z) satisfies the Cauchy-Riemann equations.
If f = u + iv we know
ux = vy ; uy = −vx ; f 0 = ux + ivx .
Let’s write f 0 = U + iV , so U = ux = vy and V = vx = −uy . We want to show that Ux = Vy
and Uy = −Vx . We do them one at a time.
Ux = Vy : Ux = vyx and Vy = vxy . Since vxy = vyx , we have Ux = Vy .
Uy = −Vx : Uy = uxy and Vx = −uyx . So, Uy = −Vx . QED.
Technical point. We’ve assumed as many partials as we need. So far we can’t guarantee
that all the partials exist. Soon we will have a theorem which says that an analytic function
has derivatives of all order. We’ll just assume that for now. In any case, in most examples
this will be obvious.
Z
More precisely, if f (z) is defined on a region A then f (z) dz is path independent in A, if
γ
it has the same value for any two paths in A with the same endpoints.
Theorem
Z 3.9. If f (z) has an antiderivative in an open region A, then the path integral
f (z) dz is path independent for all paths in A.
γ
Proof. This is the same argument as in Example 3.7. Since f (z) has an antiderivative of
f (z), the fundamental theorem tells us that the integral only depends on the endpoint of
γ, i.e. Z
f (z) dz = F (z1 ) − F (z0 )
γ
That is, any two paths from z0 to z1 have the same line integral. This shows that the line
integrals are path independent.
3 LINE INTEGRALS AND CAUCHY’S THEOREM 5
y P =Q y
Q
Cc
C2
C1
P
x x
3.7 Examples
Z
Example 3.11. Why can’t we compute z dz using the fundamental theorem.
γ
answer: Because z doesn’t have an antiderivative. We can also see this by noting that if z
had an antiderivative, then its integral around the unit circle would have to be 0. But, we
saw in Example 3.4 that this is not the case.
Z
Example 3.12. Compute 1/z dz over several contours
γ
(i) The line from 1 to 1 + i.
(ii) The circle of radius 1 around z = 3.
(iii) The unit circle.
answer: For parts (i) and (ii) there is no problem using the antiderivative log(z) because
these curves are contained in a simply connected region that doesn’t contain the origin.
√
(i) answer: log(1 + i) − log(1) = log( 2) + iπ/4.
(ii) answer: 0 (since the beginning and end points are the same).
(iii) answer: We parametrize the unit circle by γ(θ) = eiθ with 0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π. We compute
γ 0 (θ) = ieiθ . So the integral becomes
Z 2π Z 2π
1 1 iθ
Z
dz = ie dt = i dt = 2πi.
γ z 0 eiθ 0
Notice that we could use log(z) if we were careful to let the argument increase by 2π as it
went around the origin once.
1
Z
Example 3.13. Compute 2
dz, where γ is the unit circle in two ways.
γ z
(i) Using the fundamental theorem, Theorem ??
(ii) Directly from the definition.
answer: (i) Let f (z) = −1/z. Since f 0 (z) = 1/z 2 , the fundamental theorem says
1
Z Z
2
dz = f 0 (z) dz = f (endpoint) − f (start point) = 0.
γ z γ
(It equals 0 because the start and endpoints are the same.)
3 LINE INTEGRALS AND CAUCHY’S THEOREM 6
(ii) As usual, we parametrize the unit circle as γ(θ) = eiθ with 0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π. So, γ 0 (θ) = ieiθ
and the integral becomes
Z 2π Z 2π
1 1
Z 2π
iθ −iθ −iθ
2
dz = ie dθ = ie dθ = −e = 0.
γ z 0 e2iθ 0 0
Cauchy’s theorem is analogous to Green’s theorem for curl free vector fields.
Theorem 3.14. (Cauchy’s theorem) Suppose A is a simply connected region, f (z) is
analytic on A and C is a simple closed curve in A. Then the following three things hold:
Z
(i) f (z) dz = 0
C
(i0 ) We can drop the requirement that C is simple in part (i).
(ii) Integrals of f on paths within A are path independent. That is, two paths with same
endpoints integrate to the same value.
(iii) f has an antiderivative in A.
Proof. We will prove (i) using Green’s theorem, We could give a proof that didn’t rely on
Green’s, but it would be quite similar in flavor to the proof of Green’s theorem.
Let R be the region inside the curve. And write f = u + iv. Now we write out the integral
as follows
Z Z Z
f (z) dz = (u + iv) (dx + idy) = (u dx − v dy) + i(v dx + u dy).
C C C
Let’s apply Green’s theorem to the real and imaginary pieces separately. First the real
piece. Z Z
u dx − v dy = −vx − uy dx dy = 0.
C R
We get 0 because the Cauchy-Riemann equations say uy = −vx , so −vx − uy = 0.
Likewise for the imaginary piece:
Z Z
v dx + u dy = ux − vy dx dy = 0.
C R
Here the integral is over any path in A connecting z0 to z. By part (ii), F (z) is well defined.
If we can show that F 0 (z) = f (z) then we’ll be done. Doing this amounts to managing the
notation to apply the fundamental theorem of calculus and the Cauchy-Riemann equations.
Let’s write f (z) = u(x, y) + iv(x, y) and F (z) = U (x, y) + iV (x, y). Then we can write
∂f
= ux + ivx , etc.
∂x
We can formulate the Cauchy-Riemann equations for F (z) as
∂F 1 ∂F 1
F 0 (z) = = , i.e. F 0 (z) = Ux + iVx = (Uy + iVy ) = Vy − iUy . (3)
∂x i ∂y i
For reference we note that using the path γ(t) = x(t) + iy(t), with γ(0) = z0 and γ(b) = z
we have
Z z Z z Z b
F (z) = f (w) dw = (u(x, y)+iv(x, y))(dx+idy) = (u(x(t), y(t))+iv(x(t), y(t))(x0 (t)+iy 0 (t)) dt.
z0 z0 0
(4)
Our goal now is to prove that the Cauchy-Riemann equations given in Equation 4 hold for
F (z). The figure below shows an arbitrary path from z0 to z, which can be used to compute
F (z). To compute the partials of F we’ll need the straight lines that continue C to z + h
or z + ih.
A z + ih
Cy
z Cx z + h
C
z0
Cauchy’s theorem requires that the function f (z) be analytic on a simply connected region.
In cases where it is not, we can extend it in a useful way.
Suppose R is the region between the two simple closed curves C1 and C2 . Note, both C1
and C2 are oriented in a counterclockwise direction.
Proof. The proof is based on the following figure. We ‘cut’ both C1 and C2 and connect
them by two copies of C3 , one in each direction. (In the figure we have drawn the two
copies of C3 as separate curves, in reality they are the same curve traversed in opposite
directions.)
3 LINE INTEGRALS AND CAUCHY’S THEOREM 9
In case (i) Cauchy’s theorem applies directly because the interior does not contain the
problem point at the origin. Thus,
Z
f (z) dz = 0.
C1
Z
For case (ii) we will show that f (z) dz = 2πi.
C2
3 LINE INTEGRALS AND CAUCHY’S THEOREM 10
R C3 C2
x
Answer to the question: The only possible values are 0 and 2πi.
C x
R C1
C2 C3 C4