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Lemma 4.8 — the Julia set of a rational map of degree ≥2\ge 2≥2 is nonempty

Proved
MilnorDynamics.julia_set_nonempty

by Lucas · Sep 26, 2026 · Mathlib 0df444a (Lean v4.33.1)

complex-analysiscomplex-dynamics

Let fff be a rational map of the Riemann sphere of degree d≥2d\ge 2d≥2. Then its Julia set is nonvacuous:

J(f)≠∅.J(f)\neq\emptyset.J(f)=∅.

The hypothesis d≥2d\ge2d≥2 is necessary: a Möbius transformation such as z↦2zz\mapsto 2zz↦2z or z↦z+1z\mapsto z+1z↦z+1 has empty Julia set. This lemma is the starting point for all structural results about J(f)J(f)J(f) (perfectness, density of preimages and of repelling cycles).

Preamble
import Mathlib
import Definitions.Def_MilnorDynamics_RationalMaps

open scoped OnePoint
open Filter Set
Formal statement
namespace MilnorDynamics

theorem julia_set_nonempty (f : RationalMap) (hf : 2 ≤ f.degree) :
    (juliaSet f.toFun).Nonempty := by sorry

end MilnorDynamics
Source
J. Milnor, Dynamics in One Complex Variable, 3rd ed., Annals of Mathematics Studies 160, Princeton University Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0-691-12488-9, §4, p. 46, Lemma 4.8 (J Is not Empty)
Read-back

What the Lean code literally says, in plain math · Aristotle (Harmonic) — same agent as the drafter; non-blind

Non-blind read-back — not independent testimony. This read-back was written by the same agent that drafted the Lean statements of this proposal, with full knowledge of the intended meaning and of the source. It was not produced by an independent, blind auditor, so it must not be treated as independent testimony: please compare the Lean code itself against the source.

Here a rational map fff is a pair of complex polynomials (p,q)(p,q)(p,q) with q≠0q\neq 0q=0 and p,qp,qp,q coprime (in the sense ap+bq=1ap+bq=1ap+bq=1 for some polynomials a,ba,ba,b). Its degree is deg⁡f=max⁡(deg⁡p,deg⁡q)\deg f=\max(\deg p,\deg q)degf=max(degp,degq) (natural-number degrees, with deg⁡0=0\deg 0=0deg0=0). It acts on C^=C∪{∞}\hat{\mathbb C}=\mathbb C\cup\{\infty\}C^=C∪{∞} (the one-point compactification of C\mathbb CC) by: for finite zzz, f(z)=∞f(z)=\inftyf(z)=∞ if q(z)=0q(z)=0q(z)=0 and f(z)=p(z)/q(z)f(z)=p(z)/q(z)f(z)=p(z)/q(z) otherwise; and f(∞)=∞f(\infty)=\inftyf(∞)=∞ if deg⁡q<deg⁡p\deg q<\deg pdegq<degp, otherwise f(∞)=c/lc⁡(q)f(\infty)=c/\operatorname{lc}(q)f(∞)=c/lc(q) where ccc is the coefficient of ppp in degree deg⁡q\deg qdegq and lc⁡(q)\operatorname{lc}(q)lc(q) the leading coefficient of qqq (so f(∞)=0f(\infty)=0f(∞)=0 when deg⁡p<deg⁡q\deg p<\deg qdegp<degq). For a map g:C^→C^g:\hat{\mathbb C}\to\hat{\mathbb C}g:C^→C^, a point z0z_0z0​ is in the Fatou set F(g)F(g)F(g) iff there is an open set V⊆CV\subseteq\mathbb CV⊆C containing the chart coordinate of z0z_0z0​ (the point itself if z0z_0z0​ is finite; 000 if z0=∞z_0=\inftyz0​=∞) such that the family of maps V→C^V\to\hat{\mathbb C}V→C^, w↦gn(ϕ(w))w\mapsto g^{n}(\phi(w))w↦gn(ϕ(w)) (n≥0n\ge 0n≥0), with ϕ(w)=w\phi(w)=wϕ(w)=w in the finite case and ϕ(w)=1/w\phi(w)=1/wϕ(w)=1/w (ϕ(0)=∞\phi(0)=\inftyϕ(0)=∞) in the case z0=∞z_0=\inftyz0​=∞, is normal on VVV: every sequence from the family has a subsequence converging, uniformly on every compact subset of VVV with respect to the chordal metric of C^\hat{\mathbb C}C^, to some map continuous on VVV. The Julia set is J(g)=C^∖F(g)J(g)=\hat{\mathbb C}\setminus F(g)J(g)=C^∖F(g).

Statement. For every rational map fff with deg⁡f=max⁡(deg⁡p,deg⁡q)≥2\deg f=\max(\deg p,\deg q)\ge 2degf=max(degp,degq)≥2, there exists a point z∈C^z\in\hat{\mathbb C}z∈C^ with z∈J(f)z\in J(f)z∈J(f), i.e. zzz is not in the Fatou set of the self-map fff of C^\hat{\mathbb C}C^.

Human review
  • Endorsed by Shuze Chen · Sep 26, 2026

    Confirmed by the moderator at approval.

  • Endorsed by Lucas · Sep 26, 2026

    Confirmed by the mission captain (proposal self-audit).

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