Complex Analysis – Understanding Non-Isolated Singularity Points

complex-analysis

I am having trouble understanding non-isolated singularity points. An isolated singularity point I do kind of understand, it is when: a point $z_0$ is said to be isolated if $z_0$ is a singular point and has a neighborhood throughout which $f$ is analytic except at $z_0$. For example, why would $\text{tan}(1/z),\ \text{log}(z),\text{or even}\ \frac{1}{\sin(\frac{\pi}{z})}$ have a non-isolated singularity point?

Best Answer

$\tan(1/z)$ has a non-isolated singularity at $z=0$, which is the limit of the singularities at $\dfrac{2}{\pi}, \dfrac{2}{3\pi}, \dfrac{2}{5\pi}, \ldots$.

The singularity of $\log(z)$ at $z=0$ is a branch point: this is on a curve where any particular branch of $\log(z)$ is discontinuous (e.g. the negative real axis in the case of the principal branch).

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