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Write GF(σ)=∑F(z)=σ∣F′(z)∣−1G_F(\sigma)=\sum_{F(z)=\sigma}|F'(z)|^{-1} at a regular value of FF. We prove the claim using F(z)=z4−2z2F(z)=z^4-2z^2, whose critical values are −1-1 and 00.

The two tails on the real line

For T>1T>1, solving F(z)=σF(z)=\sigma first for z2z^2 gives

GF(T)=(T+1+1)−1/2+(T+1−1)−1/22T+1=T−3/4(1−38T+O(T−2)),GF(−T)=T−1/4T−1=T−3/4(1+12T+O(T−2)).(1)\begin{aligned} G_F(T) &=\frac{(\sqrt{T+1}+1)^{-1/2} +(\sqrt{T+1}-1)^{-1/2}}{2\sqrt{T+1}}\\ &=T^{-3/4}\left(1-\frac{3}{8T}+O(T^{-2})\right),\\ G_F(-T) &=\frac{T^{-1/4}}{\sqrt{T-1}} =T^{-3/4}\left(1+\frac{1}{2T}+O(T^{-2})\right). \end{aligned} \tag{1}

Indeed F′(z)=4z(z2−1)F'(z)=4z(z^2-1). At σ=T\sigma=T the two values of z2z^2 are 1±T+11\pm\sqrt{T+1}, and at σ=−T\sigma=-T they are 1±iT−11\pm i\sqrt{T-1}, each of modulus T\sqrt T. The expansions in (1) follow from the convergent binomial series at 1/T=01/T=0; in the first one the terms odd in (T+1)−1/2(T+1)^{-1/2} cancel.

A mixture supported at the two critical values has the form

Hα(σ)=α∣σ+1∣−3/4+(1−α)∣σ∣−3/4,0≤α≤1.H_\alpha(\sigma)=\alpha|\sigma+1|^{-3/4} +(1-\alpha)|\sigma|^{-3/4},\qquad 0\le\alpha\le1.

Its two tails satisfy

Hα(T)+Hα(−T)=2T−3/4+O(T−11/4),(2)H_\alpha(T)+H_\alpha(-T) =2T^{-3/4}+O(T^{-11/4}), \tag{2}

uniformly in α\alpha: the terms of order T−7/4T^{-7/4} cancel, and the remainders of the two binomial series are bounded uniformly before multiplication by α\alpha. In contrast, (1) gives

GF(T)+GF(−T)=2T−3/4+18T−7/4+O(T−11/4).(3)G_F(T)+G_F(-T) =2T^{-3/4}+\frac18T^{-7/4}+O(T^{-11/4}). \tag{3}

Fix a sufficiently large finite TT so that (3) strictly exceeds (2) for every α∈[0,1]\alpha\in[0,1]. Equivalently, the fixed positive gap is

GF(T)+GF(−T)>max⁡f∈{−1,0}(∣T−f∣−3/4+∣−T−f∣−3/4).(4)G_F(T)+G_F(-T)> \max_{f\in\{-1,0\}} \left(|T-f|^{-3/4}+|-T-f|^{-3/4}\right). \tag{4}

Thus the obstruction is uniform over all allowed weights. Looking at the tails separately would require α≤1/2\alpha\le1/2 from the positive tail and α≥2/3\alpha\ge2/3 from the negative tail.

Passing to circles and monic quartics

For R>1/2R>1/2, put

hR=R2−14,CR=−12+ihR,ΓR={σ:∣σ−CR∣=R}.h_R=\sqrt{R^2-\tfrac14},\qquad C_R=-\tfrac12+ih_R,\qquad \Gamma_R=\{\sigma:|\sigma-C_R|=R\}.

These circles pass through −1-1 and 00 and converge locally to the real line as R→∞R\to\infty. More explicitly, for each fixed real xx, their lower arcs contain

σR(x)=x+i(hR−hR2−x2−x)⟶x\sigma_R(x)=x+i\left(h_R-\sqrt{h_R^2-x^2-x}\right) \longrightarrow x

when RR is sufficiently large. Use x=T,−Tx=T,-T with the fixed TT of (4). These target points stay away from the critical values. Their inverse roots are simple, so GFG_F and both reference densities are continuous there. The strict inequality (4) consequently holds with T,−TT,-T replaced by σR(T),σR(−T)\sigma_R(T),\sigma_R(-T) for every sufficiently large RR. No HαH_\alpha can dominate GFG_F at both of these points.

The centered monic polynomial

qR(z)=F(R1/4z)−CRR=z4−2R−1/2z2−CR/R(5)q_R(z)=\frac{F(R^{1/4}z)-C_R}{R} =z^4-2R^{-1/2}z^2-C_R/R \tag{5}

has unit critical values (−1−CR)/R(-1-C_R)/R and −CR/R-C_R/R, and tends in coefficients to z4−iz^4-i. With ζ=(σ−CR)/R\zeta=(\sigma-C_R)/R, both sides of a putative density majorant for qRq_R equal R3/4R^{3/4} times the corresponding side for FF on ΓR\Gamma_R. Therefore the same strict two-point obstruction applies to qRq_R.

Separating the critical values

Fix such an RR, and for small δ>0\delta>0 set

t=δ(−hR+i/2),Ft(z)=z4−2(1+t+t2)z2+4t(1+t)z.t=\delta(-h_R+i/2),\qquad F_t(z)=z^4-2(1+t+t^2)z^2+4t(1+t)z.

Its critical points are 1,t,−1−t1,t,-1-t, with values f1,f2,f3f_1,f_2,f_3 in that order. Direct substitution gives

f1→−1,f2→0,f3→−1,f3−f1=−t(2+t)3.f_1\to-1,\qquad f_2\to0,\qquad f_3\to-1,\qquad f_3-f_1=-t(2+t)^3.

For all sufficiently small positive δ\delta these values are distinct and noncollinear: f2−f1→1f_2-f_1\to1 while (f3−f1)/δ→−8(−hR+i/2)(f_3-f_1)/\delta\to-8(-h_R+i/2) has nonzero imaginary part. Let Ct,RtC_t,R_t be their circumcenter and circumradius. The circumcenter equations, the second divided by δ\delta, converge to

2Re⁡(C+1)=1,Re⁡((C+1)(−hR+i/2)‾)=0.2\operatorname{Re}(C+1)=1,\qquad \operatorname{Re}\bigl((C+1)\overline{(-h_R+i/2)}\bigr)=0.

This nonsingular real linear system has the unique solution C=CRC=C_R. Hence Ct→CRC_t\to C_R and Rt→RR_t\to R. The centered monic polynomial

pt(z)=Rt−1(Ft(Rt1/4z)−Ct)(6)p_t(z)=R_t^{-1}\bigl(F_t(R_t^{1/4}z)-C_t\bigr) \tag{6}

therefore tends to qRq_R and has three distinct unit critical values.

Keep the two unit target points of (5) fixed during this perturbation. They are regular values of qRq_R, so all four roots above each remain simple nearby and their inverse-derivative densities converge. The critical values of ptp_t converge to those of qRq_R; thus the maximum over the three reference centers of the sum of the two reference densities also converges to the maximum over the two centers in (4), with the scaling described after (5). The strict two-point gap persists. Since a convex combination of three numbers never exceeds their maximum, every fixed triple of weights fails at one of those two target points.

Finally choose RR so large that the coefficients of qRq_R differ from those of z4−iz^4-i by less than ϵ/2\epsilon/2, while retaining the strict gap. Then choose δ\delta small enough that the coefficients of pt−qRp_t-q_R have modulus less than ϵ/2\epsilon/2 and the gap persists. This is the quartic required in the statement. The argument supplies an obstruction to the proposed pointwise majorant, not to the integrated length bound.