Student Name: Guifré Sánchez Serra

Riemann surfaces
Assignment 4

1. Show that CP 1 ∼
= CP 1 /µn .

First of all we note that CP 1 /µn is a well-defined Riemann surface. We recall this theorem from previous
sessions:
Theorem 1. Let X be a Riemann surface and let Γ be a discrete group acting on X such that:
• For any γ ∈ Γ the map x 7→ γ · x from X to itself is holomorphic.
• The action of Γ on X is proper.
Then the quotient space X/Γ possesses a natural structure of Riemann surface, characterized by the
following property: let π : X → X/Γ denote the canonical map. For any open subset U of X/Γ, π −1 (U )
is an open subset of X and a function f : U → C is holomorphic if and only if f ◦ π : π −1 (U ) → C is
holomorphic.
The maps z 7→ ζz, from CP 1 to itself, with ζ ∈ µn , provided by the action of µn on CP 1 , are clearly
holomorphic (this can be easily seen looking at them in coordinates with the usual atlas for CP 1 ), so the
first condition is satisfied.
On the other hand, from Exercise 1 in Exercise Sheet 3, we know that an action is proper if and only if
for all compact subsets K ⊂ X, the set GK := {g ∈ G | gK ∩ K ̸= ∅} is compact. This is clearly the case
for the current action, since µn is a finite discrete group, and therefore all subsets of µn are compact (in
particular, any (µn )K for any K compact in CP 1 ).
Thus, from Theorem 1, CP 1 /µn possesses a natural structure of Riemann surface characterized by the
described property.

Consider now the map:

f : CP 1 /µn → CP 1
(1)
z 7→ z n
We claim that this map is bijective and holomorphic, and therefore, defines a biholomorphism between
CP 1 /µn and CP 1 , i.e. CP 1 /µn ∼
= CP 1 .
1. f is well-defined. This is clear since if z, w ∈ CP 1 belong to the same class in CP 1 /µn , they satisfy
w = ζ k w, for some 0 ≤ k ≤ n − 1, where ζ is an n-th primitive root of unity, and therefore z n = wn .
For classes of 0 and ∞ this also works, since there is only a representative in CP 1 for each of them.
2. f is injective. Note that f (z) = f (w) implies z n = wn . If z ∈ C× then it must be that w ∈ C× too,
and therefore (z/w)n = 1, which means z/w ∈ µn , and z = w. If z = 0, then z = 0 and w must be
0 too. The same argument applies when z = ∞ (we must have z = w = ∞ ∈ CP 1 ).
3. f is surjective. Let z ∈ CP 1 . If z is ∞ or 0, we can take p ∈ CP 1 /µn ∞ or 0 and clearly f (p) is
∞ or 0, respectively. Otherwise, we can write z as reiθ , with r = |z| and θ = Arg(z). Consider
w = r1/n eiθ/n , and let p = w ∈ CP 1 /µn . We have f (p) = (r1/n eiθ/n )n = reiθ = z. Thus, f is
also surjective. From now on we will denote z 1/n (z −1/n ) the complex number w (w−1 ) defined
above (if z is 0 or ∞, we make the convention that z 1/n , z −1/n will refer to the pairs 0, ∞ and ∞, 0,
respectively).

1
 4. f is holomorphic. Let (U1 , ϕ1 ) and (U2 , ϕ2 ) be the usual holomorphic charts on CP 1 with ϕ1 , ϕ2
local coordinates at 0 and ∞ respectively. Consider now the open1 sets π(Ui ) =: Vi ⊂ CP 1 /µn .
Note that V1 = CP 1 /µn \ ∞ and V2 = CP 1 /µn \ 0 are open nbh of 0 and ∞ in CP 1 /µn , and let
τ1 : V1 → C, τ2 : V2 → C be the maps z 7→ z n and z 7→ z −n respectively. From the observations
made for f , it is easy to see that these maps are well-defined and bijective. The inverses of τ1 and
τ2 will be the maps z 7→ z 1/n and z 7→ z −1/n .
Consider now the maps ϕi := τi ◦ π from π −1 (Vi ) to C. Observe that ϕ1 (z) = z n and ϕ2 (z) = z −n .
These are clearly holomorphic maps on open subsets of CP 1 , which implies, by Theorem 1, that
τ1 , τ2 are also holomorphic. We then have that τ1 and τ2 are homeomorphisms2 , since they are open,
continuous and bijective. Moreover, note that, for w ∈ C× = τ1 (V1 ∩ V2 ) = τ2 (V1 ∩ V2 ):

τ2 ◦ τ1−1 (w) = τ2 (w1/n ) = (w1/n )−n = w−1 , τ1 ◦ τ2−1 (w) = τ1 (w−1/n ) = (w−1/n )n = w−1 (2)

which are clearly holomorphic (the transition maps are holomorphic). Thus, the pairs (V1 , τ1 ),
(V2 , τ2 ) constitute an (holomorphic) atlas for CP 1 /µn .
Let now z ∈ CP 1 /µn \ ∞ = V1 and consider the charts (V1 , τ1 ), (U1 , ϕ1 ) on CP 1 /µn and CP 1
respectively (note that if z ∈ V1 , f (z) = z n is in U1 because z ̸= ∞, and therefore z n ̸= ∞). In
these charts, f looks in coordinates as follows:

ϕ1 ◦ f ◦ τ1−1 (w) = ϕ1 (f (w1/n )) = ϕ1 ((w1/n )n ) = ϕ1 (w) = w (3)

which is holomorphic.
Now let ∞ ∈ CP 1 /µn and consider the charts (V2 , τ2 ) and (U2 , ϕ2 ) around ∞ and f (∞) respectively.
The coordinate representation of f in these charts takes now the form:

ϕ2 ◦ f ◦ τ2−1 (w) = ϕ2 (f (w−1/n )) = ϕ2 ((w−1/n )n ) = ϕ2 (w−1 ) = (w−1 )−1 = w (4)

which again, is an holomorphic map.

We have shown that for all points p ∈ CP 1 /µn , there exist local holomorphic charts (V, τ ), (U, ϕ)
on CP 1 /µn and CP 1 , with τ, ϕ local coordinates at p and f (p), respectively, such that ϕ ◦ f ◦ τ −1
is holomorphic in a nbh of τ −1 (p). This proves that f is holomorphic.

Since f is holomorphic and bijective, its inverse is also holomorphic3 and therefore, CP 1 /µn and CP 1 are
biholomorphic Riemann surfaces.

2. Find the degree of π.

Recall that the degree of a non-constant holomorphic map f : X → Y between compact connected
Riemann surfaces is the integer deg(f ), defined as:
X
dy (f ) := mult(f, x)
(5)
x∈f −1 (y)

for arbitrary y ∈ Y , i.e. dy (f ) is independent of y.

1
Since π is open.
2
Since CP 1 /µn has a structure of Riemann surface, τi : Vi → C can be written locally as g◦φi , where φi is a local coordinate
defined on a nbh of a point in Vi , and g is the coordinate representation of τi using the aforementioned coordinate. Since
g is holomorphic and φi is a homeomorphism, both g (Open Mapping Theorem) and φi are open, which implies τi locally
open (and continuous). Finally, since τi is bijective, open and continuous (as the last two are local properties), it must be
an homeomorphism (since (τi−1 )−1 (U ) = τi (U )).
3
This follows from the analytic inverse function theorem.

2
Let π : CP 1 → CP 1 /µn be the canonical projection, and let 0 ∈ CP 1 . Note that π −1 (0) = {0}. Therefore,
the degree of π in this case is just deg(π) = mult(π, 0). Consider then the local charts (U1 , ϕ1 ), (V1 , τ1 )
defined in 1. around 0 and 0 respectively. In these charts, π looks in coordinates as follows:

τ1 ◦ π ◦ ϕ1−1 (w) = τ1 (π(w)) = τ1 (w) = wn (6)

which means that mult(π, 0) = n, by definition. Therefore, deg(π) = n.

3. Find the ramification points of π.

Let z ∈ CP 1 \ ∞. In this case, the coordinate representation of π is the map w 7→ wn . Its deriva-
tive is nwn−1 , which only vanishes for w = 0 when n ≥ 2. Therefore, ϕ−1 1
1 (0) = 0 ∈ CP is the only
ramification point of π in CP 1 \ ∞, if n ≥ 2.

For z ∈ CP 1 \ 0, we may take the local charts (U2 , ϕ2 ) and (V2 , τ2 ). The coordinate representation
of π in this case is then:

τ2 ◦ π ◦ ϕ−1 −1 −1 −1 −n
2 (w) = τ2 (π(w )) = τ2 (w ) = (w ) = wn (7)

which again has derivative nwn−1 . Therefore, ϕ−1 1

2 (0) = ∞ is the only ramification point of π in CP \ 0,
if n ≥ 2.

We can conclude that the ramification points of π are 0 and ∞ if n ≥ 2; otherwise, π has no ramifi-
cation points (since in this case, π is just the identity).

4. Find the branch points of π.

By definition, the branch points of π are π(0) = 0 and π(∞) = ∞ if n ≥ 2; otherwise, π has no
branch points.

A comment on the degree of π

Note that if we take z ∈ CP 1 /µn \ {0, ∞}, we can compute deg(π) as follows:

X n−1
X
deg(π) = mult(π, w) = mult(π, ζ k z) = n (8)
w∈π −1 (z) k=0

since, by construction, w ∈ π −1 (z) are not ramification points of π, and therefore have multiplicity 1.