William Cherry - Böcker

These are notes of lectures on Nevanlinna theory, in the classical case of meromorphic functions, and the generalization by Carlson-Griffith to equidimensional holomorphic maps using as domain space finite coverings of C resp. Cn. Conjecturally best possible error terms are obtained following a method of Ahlfors and Wong. This is especially significant when obtaining uniformity for the error term w.r.t. coverings, since the analytic yields case a strong version of Vojta's conjectures in the number-theoretic case involving the theory of heights. The counting function for the ramified locus in the analytic case is the analogue of the normalized logarithmetic discriminant in the number-theoretic case, and is seen to occur with the expected coefficient 1. The error terms are given involving an approximating function (type function) similar to the probabilistic type function of Khitchine in number theory. The leisurely exposition allows readers with no background in Nevanlinna Theory to approach some of the basic remaining problems around the error term. It may be used as a continuation of a graduate course in complex analysis, also leading into complex differential geometry.

On the one hand, this monograph serves as a self-contained introduction to Nevanlinna's theory of value distribution because the authors only assume the reader is familiar with the basics of complex analysis. On the other hand, the monograph also serves as a valuable reference for the research specialist because the authors present, for the first time in book form, the most modern and refined versions of the Second Main Theorem with precise error terms, in both the geometric and logarithmic derivative based approaches. A unique feature of the monograph is its "number-theoretic digressions". These special sections assume no background in number theory and explore the exciting interconnections between Nevanlinna theory and the theory of Diophantine approximation.