Any joining path crosses the slit preimage
ProvedErdos1041.Counterexample.bottleneck_path_meets_slit_of_coveringdegree-seven-counterexampleerdos-1041polynomial-lemniscate
Under the source covering and two-root hypotheses, a continuous path in the critical component joining distinct roots must meet the preimage of the critical-value slit.
Preamble
import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_Defs import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_Bottleneck import Mathlib import Mathlib.Algebra.Polynomial.Derivative import Mathlib.Algebra.Polynomial.Div import Mathlib.Algebra.Polynomial.Roots import Mathlib.Analysis.SpecialFunctions.Complex.Log import Mathlib.Analysis.SpecialFunctions.Pow.Real import Mathlib.Analysis.SpecialFunctions.Trigonometric.Basic import Mathlib.Tactic.NormNum import Mathlib.Tactic.Ring import Mathlib.Topology.Connected.LocallyConnected import Mathlib.Topology.EMetricSpace.BoundedVariation open Erdos1041 open Erdos1041.Counterexample noncomputable section open Topology open Erdos1041.Counterexample
Formal statement
theorem Erdos1041.Counterexample.bottleneck_path_meets_slit_of_covering
(p : Polynomial ℂ) (cc : ℂ) (hv : p.eval cc ≠ 0)
(hcover : IsCoveringMap (bottleneckSlitProjection p cc))
(b₁ b₂ : ℂ) (hne : b₁ ≠ b₂) (hr₁ : p.IsRoot b₁) (hr₂ : p.IsRoot b₂)
(γ : ℝ → ℂ) (hcont : ContinuousOn γ (Set.Icc 0 1))
(hγ0 : γ 0 = b₁) (hγ1 : γ 1 = b₂)
(hγmem : ∀ τ ∈ Set.Icc (0 : ℝ) 1,
γ τ ∈ connectedComponentIn (Omega p) cc) :
∃ τ ∈ Set.Icc (0 : ℝ) 1, γ τ ∈ connectedComponentIn (Omega p) cc ∩
(fun z => p.eval z) ⁻¹' bottleneckSlit (p.eval cc) := by sorry
Source
Lean source: https://github.com/wcook04/plectis-erdos-lean/blob/cc7e541cf2081c6fef5a5e377d52e365e33b01eb/ErdosProblems/Erdos1041/Counterexample/Bottleneck.lean#L488-L526
Construction by ani: https://www.erdosproblems.com/forum/thread/1041#post-8861
Related paper and provenance: https://github.com/wcook04/plectis-erdos/blob/551bae6dc6e732cf85172d66323c8d2bc77ba962/paper/1041/erdos-1041-lemniscate-newton-flow.tex#L25-L99
Paper prior-art bibliography: https://github.com/wcook04/plectis-erdos/blob/551bae6dc6e732cf85172d66323c8d2bc77ba962/paper/1041/erdos-1041-lemniscate-newton-flow.tex#L1662-L1772
AI-assisted formalization in Will Cook's project; ani is credited for the degree-seven construction. Independent correspondence of the 1958 Problem 5 wording to this modern formulation is unrecorded.