Special Functions

An overview of special functions, focusing on the hypergeometric functions and the associated hypergeometric series.

Contains the various principal special functions in common use and their basic properties and manipulations. Discusses expansions of functions in infinite series and infinite product and the asymptotic expansion of functions. For physicists, engineers, and mathematicians. Acidic paper. Paper edition (unseen), $38. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book, written by a highly distinguished author, provides the required mathematical tools for researchers active in the physical sciences. The book presents a full suit of elementary functions for scholars at PhD level. The opening chapter introduces elementary classical special functions. The final chapter is devoted to the discussion of functions of matrix argument in the real case. The text and exercises have been class-tested over five different years.

This book gives an introduction to the classical, well-known special functions which play a role in mathematical physics, especially in boundary value problems. Calculus and complex function theory form the basis of the book and numerous formulas are given. Particular attention is given to asymptomatic and numerical aspects of special functions, with numerous references to recent literature provided.

The subject of special functions is often presented as a collection of disparate results, which are rarely organised in a coherent way. This book answers the need for a different approach to the subject. The authors' main goals are to emphasise general unifying principles coherently and to provide clear motivation, efficient proofs, and original references for all of the principal results. The book covers standard material, but also much more, including chapters on discrete orthogonal polynomials and elliptic functions. The authors show how a very large part of the subject traces back to two equations - the hypergeometric equation and the confluent hypergeometric equation - and describe the various ways in which these equations are canonical and special. Providing ready access to theory and formulas, this book serves as an ideal graduate-level textbook as well as a convenient reference.

The subjects treated in this book have been especially chosen to represent a bridge connecting the content of a first course on the elementary theory of analytic functions with a rigorous treatment of some of the most important special functions: the Euler gamma function, the Gauss hypergeometric function, and the Kummer confluent hypergeometric function. Such special functions are indispensable tools in "higher calculus" and are frequently encountered in almost all branches of pure and applied mathematics. The only knowledge assumed on the part of the reader is an understanding of basic concepts to the level of an elementary course covering the residue theorem, Cauchy's integral formula, the Taylor and Laurent series expansions, poles and essential singularities, branch points, etc. The book addresses the needs of advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics or physics.

The subject of this book is the theory of special functions, not considered as a list of functions exhibiting a certain range of properties, but based on the unified study of singularities of second-order ordinary differential equations in the complex domain. The number and characteristics of the singularities serve as a basis for classification of each individual special function. Links between linear special functions (as solutions of linear second-order equations), and non-linear special functions (as solutions of Painlevé equations) are presented as a basic and new result. Many applications to different areas of physics are shown and discussed. The book is written from a practical point of view and will address all those scientists whose work involves applications of mathematical methods. Lecturers, graduate students and researchers will find this a useful text and reference work.

This book presents calculation methods that are used in both mathematical and theoretical physics. These methods will allow readers to work with selected special functions and more generally with differential equations, which are the most frequently used in quantum mechanics, theory of relativity and quantum field theory. The authors explain various approximation methods used to solve differential equations and to estimate integrals. They also address the basics of the relations between differential equations, special functions and representation theory of some of the simplest algebras on the one hand, and fundamental physics on the other. Based on a seminar for graduate physics students, the book offers a compact and quick way to learn about special functions. To gain the most from it, readers should be familiar with the basics of calculus, linear algebra, and complex analysis, as well as the basic methods used to solve differential equations and calculate integrals.