Rational maps without Herman rings

Abstract

Let <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> be a rational map with degree at least two. We prove that <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> has at least two disjoint and infinite critical orbits in the Julia set if it has a Herman ring. This result is sharp in the following sense: there exists a cubic rational map having exactly two critical grand orbits but also having a Herman ring. In particular, <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="f"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>f</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">f</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> has no Herman rings if it has at most one infinite critical orbit in the Julia set. These criterions derive some known results about the rational maps without Herman rings.