Math 336 Homework #6

Alexander Waugh
May 18, 2020

Theorem (IV.4.2). Show that a harmonic function is C ∞ , that is, a harmonic function has
partial derivatives of all orders.
Proof. Let u be a harmonic on an open and connected set Ω. Then for each z0 ∈ Ω we define
a set D = {|z − z0 | < R} where R is a real constant such that D ⊂ Ω. It then follows by a
theorem of page 57 that there exists an analytic function f = u + iv where v is the harmonic
conjugate of u on D. Since f is analytic on D it follows that f is infinitely differentiable with
each of its derivatives being analytic. We now interpret f as a map from R2 to R2 taking
(x, y) to (u(x, y), v(x, y)) (where z = x + iy). Then defining the projection map g(x, y) = x
it follows that g is C ∞ . Thus the composition g(f ) must also be C ∞ but this is equal to u.
Thus u must be C ∞ with partials of all orders on D but since D was arbitrary we get that
u is C ∞ on all of Ω.
Theorem (IV.5.1). Show that if u is a harmonic function on C that is bounded above, then
u is constant.
Proof. Suppose that u be a harmonic function on C bounded above by some nonnegative
constant M . Since C is a star shaped domain (it is open and arc connected) it follows by a
theorem on page 83 that there exists a harmonic conjugate v on C such that f = u + iv is
entire. Then since the composition of entire functions is entire it follows that exp(f ) is also
entire. Observe that
|exp(f )| = exp(u) ≤ exp(M )
Thus exp(f ) is a bounded entire function so by Liouville’s Theorem it is constant. However
this implies that f is constant which implies that both u and v are constant.
Theorem (IV.5.2). Show that if f (z) is an entire function, and there is a nonempty disk
such that f (z) does not attain any values in the disk, then f (z) is constant.
Proof. Suppose f is entire mapping C to C\D for some nonempty disk D centered at z0 ∈ C.
Then on the set C \ D the function g(z) = (z − z0 )−1 is analytic. Recognizing g as a linear
fractional transformation it follows that it maps circles to circles. Since we assume D to
be a nonempty disk it then follows that g will map D to some set with nonempty interior
(if it mapped to the circle through infinity, the line, then the interior would be empty and
the transformation would not be invertible) Thus g maps C \ D to a disk T . Noting that
1
f (z)−z0
is entire mapping C to T it follows that we have a bounded entire function which by
1
Liouville’s Theorem is constant. Thus f (z)−z 0
= c and f (z) = 1c + z0 .

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Theorem (IV.5.4). Suppose f (z) is an entire function such that f (z)/z n is bounded for
|z| ≥ R. Show that f is a polynomial of degree at most n. What can be said if f (z)/z n is
bounded on the entire complex plane?
Proof. For r > R consider the annulus A = {z : R < |z| < r}. Then for each z0 ∈ A it
follows by the Cauchy integral formula that
Z
n+1 (n + 1)! f (ζ)
f (z0 ) = n+1
dζ
2πi |z|=r (ζ − z0 )

So by performing some estimates

Z 
 n+1  (n + 1)!  f (ζ) 
f (z0 ) =  dζ 
2π  |z|=r (ζ − z0 )n+2 
|f (ζ)| |ζ n |
Z 
(n + 1)!
≤ n+2
2π |z|=r |ζ − z0 | |ζ n |
rn
Z 
(n + 1)!
≤M n+2 )
2π |z|=r |r − |z0 ||
rn+1
 
= M (n + 1)!
|r − |z0 ||n+2

So now letting r → ∞ we observe that this estimate will tend towards 0 (by the extra
power of r in the denominator). Note that since r ≥ R we get the third line by hypothesis.
So f n+1 (z0 ) = 0 for all z0 such that |z0 | ≥ R. Then since |f (z)/z n | ≤ M it follows that
|f (z)| ≤ M |z n |. So f is bounded above by a polynomial of degree n and the n + 1 derivative
of f is identically 0 (on the relevant set) implying that f is a polynomial of at most degree
n. Now if |f (z)/z n | ≤ M for all z ∈ C then f (z) must “divide out” the zero of z n where
z = 0 so that the quotient remains bounded there. However as we have just shown f is a
polynomial of at most degree n. So if f were a polynomial of degree less that n as z → 0
the quotient would still diverge. So we must conclude that f (z) is a polynomial of degree n
so that as z → 0 the limit of the quotient tends towards the value of the leading coefficient
of f .
Theorem (IV.6.2). Let h be a continuous function on the interval [a, b]. Show that the
Fourier transform Z b
H(z) = h(t)e−itz dt
a
is an entire function that satisfies

|H(z)| ≤ CeA|y| , z = x + iy ∈ C

for some constants A, C > 0.

Proof. We begin by assuming a < b and defining H as above and f (z, t) = h(t)e−itz for
z ∈ C and t ∈ [a, b]. It then follows that for each fixed t that f is an analytic function of
z ∈ C (this follows since the exponential function is entire and h is given to be continuous).

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Therefore by a theorem of page 121 we get that H is analytic on C and is therefore entire.

To provide the estimate let A = max{|a| , |b|}. Then noting that h is continuous on a com-
pact interval [a, b] it follows that it attains a maximum but more importantly is bounded
implying |h(t)| ≤ M . We finally define C = M (b − a). Therefore for z = x + iy,
Z b 
−itz
 
|H(z)| =  h(t)e 
a
Z b
 
≤ h(t)ety 
a
≤ M eA|y| (b − a)
= CeA|y|

We note that ey ≤ e|y| since the real exponential is an always increasing function as its
exponent grows larger giving us the final inequalities.

Theorem (V.2.7). P∞Let a−z

n be a bounded sequence of complex numbers. Show that for each
 > 0, the series 1 an n converges uniformly for <z ≥ 1+. Here we choose the principle
branch of n−z .

Proof. Let  > 0 be given. Since an are bounded it follows that there exists M such that
|an | ≤ M . Now letting z = x + iy it also follows that n−z = n−x n−iy . Now if x ≥ 1 + 

an n−z  = an n−x  ≤ M 1
   
n1+
P −1−
Now M P n −z then converges trivially as a p-series. Thus by the Weierstrass M-Test the
series an n must converge uniformly for <z = x ≥ 1 + .