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Complex Analysis Lecture-05: MA201 Mathematics III

This document summarizes a lecture on complex analysis. It discusses harmonic functions, which satisfy Laplace's equation, and their properties. Harmonic conjugates of harmonic functions are introduced; they exist if the domain is simply connected. Methods for finding harmonic conjugates are presented. The polar and complex forms of Laplace's equation are also described.

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Vibhanshu Mishra
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72 views10 pages

Complex Analysis Lecture-05: MA201 Mathematics III

This document summarizes a lecture on complex analysis. It discusses harmonic functions, which satisfy Laplace's equation, and their properties. Harmonic conjugates of harmonic functions are introduced; they exist if the domain is simply connected. Methods for finding harmonic conjugates are presented. The polar and complex forms of Laplace's equation are also described.

Uploaded by

Vibhanshu Mishra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Complex Analysis

Lecture-05
MA201 Mathematics III

M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay

IIT Guwahati

M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 1 / 10


Learning Outcome of this Lecture

We learn
Laplace Equation
Harmonic Functions
Finding Harmonic Conjugate

M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 2 / 10


Harmonic Functions
Laplace equation:
Let φ(x, y) be a real valued function of the two real variables x and y.
The partial differential equation

φxx (x, y) + φyy (x, y) = 0

is known as Laplace equation and is sometimes referred to as the


potential equation.

Definition
Harmonic Functions:
A real valued function φ(x, y) is said to be harmonic in a domain D if
all its second order partial derivatives are continuous in D and if at
each point of D, φ satisfies the Laplace equation

φxx (x, y) + φyy (x, y) = 0 .


M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 3 / 10
Real and Imaginary Part of Analytic Functions are
Harmonic Functions

Theorem
If f (z) = u(x, y) + i v(x, y) is analytic in a domain D, then each of the
functions u(x, y) and v(x, y) is harmonic in D.

Proof: Worked out on the board.


Examples:
The functions x2 − y 2 , 2xy, ex cos y, ex sin y are harmonic functions in
C.
1
The function u(x, y) = log(x2 + y 2 ) 2 is harmonic on G = C \ {0}.

M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 4 / 10


Harmonic Conjugate Function

Definition
Let u(x, y) be a harmonic function in a domain D. If there exists a
harmonic function v(x, y) in D such that f (z) = u(x, y) + i v(x, y) is
analytic in D then we say that the function v(x, y) = =(f (z)) is a
harmonic conjugate of u(x, y) = <(f (z)).

Example: The function v(x, y) = 2xy is a harmonic conjugate of


u(x, y) = x2 − y 2 in C.
Note:
In the definition of ‘harmonic conjugate’, note that it is not said that u is
a harmonic conjugate of v.
Sometimes the phrase ‘harmonic conjugate’ is briefly called as
‘conjugate’. But it has nothing to do with the conjugate z of a complex
number z.

M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 5 / 10


Existence of Harmonic Conjugate Function
One can raise the question that
Does harmonic conjugate v always exist for a given harmonic function
u in a domain D? The answer is ‘No’.
1
The function u(x, y) = log(x2 + y 2 ) 2 is harmonic in G = C \ {0} and it
has no harmonic conjugate in G.
Refining the above question as:
Under what condition harmonic conjugate v exists for a given harmonic
function u in a domain D?
The answer to this question is: there are some domains for which
every harmonic function has a harmonic conjugate.
The exact result is given below.
Theorem
Let G be either the whole plane C or some open disk. If u : G ⊆ C → R
is a harmonic function in G then u has a harmonic conjugate in G.

The above theorem is true if G is a simply connected domain.


M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 6 / 10
Finding Harmonic Conjugate Functions
Let u(x, y) = x2 − y 2 for z = x + iy ∈ C.
Find the harmonic conjugate functions of u(x, y).
Further write the function f (x + iy) = u(x, y) + i v(x, y) in terms of z.
Details: Worked out on the board.
Explaining idea/technique in the lecture class for the following.
Let f (z) = u(x, y) + i v(x, y) be analytic in a domain D.
Given the expression for the function u(x, y) = <(f (z)) in D, how
to find the function v(x, y) = =(f (z)) in D? (see previous example)
Given the expression for the function v(x, y) = =(f (z)) in D, how
to find the function u(x, y) = <(f (z)) in D?
Given the expression for the function u(x, y) + v(x, y) in D, how to
find the functions u(x, y) = <(f (z)) and v(x, y) = =(f (z)) in D?
Hint: Consider g(z) = (1 + i)f (z).
Given the expression for the function u(x, y) − v(x, y) in D, how to
find the functions u(x, y) = <(f (z)) and v(x, y) = =(f (z)) in D?
M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 7 / 10
Properties
1 If u is harmonic and v is a harmonic conjugate of u then −u is a
harmonic conjugate of v.
2 Suppose that u is a harmonic function in a domain D. Then
(i) if v1 and v2 are harmonic conjugates of u in D, then v1 and v2
must differ by a real constant.
(ii) if v is a harmonic conjugate of u, the v is also a harmonic
conjugate of u + c where c is any real constant.
3 If u is harmonic and v is a harmonic conjugate of u then u2 − v 2
and uv are both harmonic.
4 If u, v, and u2 + v 2 are harmonic in a domain D then u and v must
be constant.
5 The function f (z) = u(x, y) + i v(x, y) is analytic in a domain D
iff v(x, y) is a harmonic conjugate of u(x, y) in D.
6 If f = u + iv is analytic in a domain D and if v is a harmonic
conjugate of u and u is a harmonic conjugate of v then f is a
constant function in D.
M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 8 / 10
Laplace Equation: Polar Form and Complex Form

The polar form of the Laplace equation φxx + φyy = 0 is given by

r2 φrr (r, θ) + r φr (r, θ) + φθθ (r, θ) = 0 .

The complex form of the Laplace equation φxx + φyy = 0 is given by


 
∂ ∂φ
=0.
∂z ∂z

M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 9 / 10


Singular Points/ Singularities

Definition
A point z0 is said to be a singular point of a function f (z) if f (z) is NOT
analytic at z0 and every neighborhood N (z0 ) of the point z0 contains at
least one point at which f (z) is analytic.

We say it as the function f (z) has a singularity at z = z0 .


Examples:
1
The point z = 1 is a singular point of f (z) = (z−1)(z−2) .
The polynomials has no singular points.
Definition
A function f : C → C is said to be an entire function if f (z) is analytic
at all points of the complex plane C.

Example: Polynomials are entire functions.

M. Guru Prem Prasad & Arup Chattopadhyay Complex Analysis Lecture-05 10 / 10

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