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Zeros in Complex Analysis 📂Complex Anaylsis

Zeros in Complex Analysis

Definition 1

αC\alpha \in \mathbb{C} being a zero of order nn of the function f:CCf : \mathbb{C} \to \mathbb{C} means that for some function gg, where limzαg(z)0\displaystyle \lim_{z \to \alpha} g(z) \ne 0, it can be expressed as follows: f(z)=(zα)ng(z) f(z) = (z-\alpha)^{n} g(z)

Theorem

Zeros are isolated:

  • For a zero ff, we can take a radius such that no other zeros exist around it.
  • For the zero α\alpha of ff, there exists a neighborhood N(α)\mathcal{N} (\alpha) where zN(α){α}z \in \mathcal{N} (\alpha) \setminus \left\{ \alpha \right\} to f(z)0f (z) \ne 0.

Proof

Without loss of generality, assume that gg is analytical at the zero of order nn α\alpha of ff and let’s denote it as g(α)=2β0g(\alpha) = 2 \beta \ne 0.

Since gg is continuous at α\alpha, for all β\beta, there must exist a δ>0\delta > 0 satisfying the following: zα<δ    g(z)g(α)<β | z - \alpha | < \delta \implies \left| g(z) - g(\alpha) \right| < |\beta| Since we previously set as g(α)=2βg(\alpha) = 2 \beta, by the triangle inequality, we have: zα<δ    g(z)g(α)g(z)g(α)>β | z - \alpha | < \delta \implies |g(z)| \ge \left| |g(\alpha)| - \left| g(z) - g(\alpha) \right| \right| > |\beta| Since zα<δ|z-\alpha| < \delta leads to g(z)>β|g(z)| > |\beta|, α\alpha cannot be a zero of gg. Given f(z)=(zα)ng(z)f(z) = (z-\alpha)^{n} g(z), specifically within this open ball B(α,δ)B \left( \alpha , \delta \right), only α\alpha becomes the zero of ff: f(z){=0,if z=α0,if zB(α,δ){α} f(z) \begin{cases} = 0 & , \text{if } z = \alpha \\ \ne 0 & , \text{if } z \in B \left( \alpha , \delta \right) \setminus \left\{ \alpha \right\} \end{cases}

See Also


  1. Osborne (1999). Complex variables and their applications: p66. ↩︎