Special Functions of Mathematical Physics

Cover
Title page
Prefaces
Preface to the American edition
Foreword to the Russian edition
Preface to the Russian edition
Translator's Preface
Chapter I Foundations of the theory of special functions
1. A differential equation for special functions
2. Polynomials of hypergeometric type. The Rodrigues formula
3. Integral representation for functions of hypergeometric type
4. Recursion relations and differentiation formulas
Chapter II The classical orthogonal polynomials
5. Basic properties of polynomials of hypergeometric type
1. Jacobi, Laguerre and Hermite polynomials
2. Consequences of the Rodrigues formula
3. Generating functions
4. Orthogonality of polynomials of hypergeometric type
6. Some general properties of orthogonal polynomials
1. Expansions of an arbitrary polynomial in terms of the orthogonal polynomials
2. Uniqueness of the system of orthogonal polynomials corresponding to a given weight
3. Recursion relations
4. Darboux-Christoffel formula
5. Properties of the zeros
6. Parity of polynomials from the parity of the weight function
7. Relation between two systems of orthogonal polynomials for which the ratio of the weights is a rational function
7. Qualitative behaviour and asymptotic properties of Jacobi, Laguerre and Hermite polynomials
1. Qualitative behaviour
2. Asymptotic properties and some inequalities
8. Expansion of functions in series of the classical orthogonal polynomials
1. General considerations
2. Closure of systems of orthogonal polynomials
3. Expansion theorems
9. Eigenvalue problems that can be solved by means of the classical orthogonal polynomials
1. Statement of the problem
2. Classical orthogonal polynomials as eigenfunctions of some eigenvalue problems
3. Quantum mechanics problems that lead to classical orthogonal polynomials
10. Spherical harmonics
1. Solution of Laplace's equation in spherical coordinates
2. Properties of spherical harmonics
3. Integral representation
4. Connection between homogeneous harmonic polynomials and spherical harmonics
5. Generalized spherical harmonics
6. Addition theorem
7. Explicit expressions for generalized spherical harmonics
11. Functions of the second kind
1. Integral representations
2. Asymptotic formula
3. Recursion relations and differentiation formulas
4. Some special functions related to Q₀(z): incomplete beta and gamma functions, exponential integrals, exponential integral function, integral sine and cosine, error function, Fresnel integrals
12. Classical orthogonal polynomials of a discrete variable
1. The difference equation of hypergeometric type
2. Finite difference analogs of polynomials of hypergeometric type and of their derivatives. A Rodrigues formula
3. The orthogonality property
4. The Hahn, Chebyshev, Meixner, Kravchuk and Charlier polynomials
5. Calculations of leading coefficients and squared norms. Tables of data
6. Connection with the Jacobi, Laguerre and Hermite polynomials
7. Relation between generalized spherical harmonics and Kravchuk polynomials
8. Particular solutions for the difference equation of hypergeometric type
13. Classical orthogonal polynomials of a discrete variable on nonuniform lattices
1. The difference equation of hypergeometric type on a nonuniform lattice
2. The Rodrigues formula
3. The orthogonality property
4. Classification of lattices
5. Classification of polynomial systems on linear and quadratic lattices
6. Construction of q-analogs of polynomials that are orthogonal on linear and quadratic lattices
7. Calculation of leading coefficients and squared norms. Tables of data
8. Asymptotic properties
9. Construction of some classes of nonuniform lattices by means of the Darboux-Christoffel formula
Chapter III Bessel functions
14. Bessel's differential equation and its solutions
1. Solving the Helmholtz equation in cylindrical coordinates
2. Definition of Bessel functions of the first kind and Hankel functions
15. Basic properties of Bessel functions
1. Recursion relations and differentiation formulas
2. Analytic continuation and asymptotic formulas
3. Functional equations
4. Power series expansions
16. Sommerfeld's integral representations
1. Sommerfeld's integral representation for Bessel functions
2. Sommerfeld's integral representations for Hankel functions and Bessel functions of the first kind
17. Special classes of Bessel functions
1. Bessel functions of the second kind
2. Bessel functions whose order is half an odd in teger. Bessel polynomials
3. Modified Bessel functions
18. Addition theorems
1. Graf's addition theorem
2. Gegenbauer's addition theorem
3. Expansion of spherical and plane waves in series of Legendre polynomials
19. Semiclassical approximation (WKB method)
1. Semiclassical approximation for the solutions of equations of second order
2. Asymptotic formulas for classical orthogonal polynomials for large values of n
3. Semiclassical approximation for equations with singular points. The central field
4. Asymptotic formulas for Bessel functions of large order. Langer's formulas
5. Finding the energy eigenvalues for the Schrödinger equation in the semiclassical approximation. The Bohr-Sommerfeld formula
Chapter IV Hypergeometric functions
20. The equations of hypergeometric type and their solutions
1. Reduction to canonical form
2. Construction of particular solutions
3. Analytic continuation
21. Basic properties of functions of hypergeometric type
1. Recursion relations
2. Power series
3. Functional equations and asymptotic formulas
4. Special cases
22. Representation of various functions in terms of functions of hypergeometric type
1. Some elementary functions
2. Jacobi, Laguerre and Hermite polynomials
3. Classical orthogonal polynomials of a discrete variable
4. Functions of the second kind
5. Bessel functions
6. Elliptic integrals
7. Whittaker functions
23. Definite integrals containing functions of hypergeometric type
Chapter V Solution of some problems of mathematical physics, quantum mechanics and numerical analysis
24. Reduction of partial differential equations to ordinary differential equations by the method of separation of variables
1. General outline of the method of separation of variables
2. Application of curvilinear coordinate systems
25. Boundary value problems of mathematical physics
1. Sturm-Liouville problem
2. Basic properties of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions
3. Oscillation properties of the solutions of a Sturm-Liouville problem
4. Expansion of functions in eigenfunctions of a Sturm-Liouville problem
5. Boundary value problems for Bessel's equation
6. Dini and Fourier-Bessel expansions. Fourier- Bessel integral
26. Solution of some basic problems in quantum mechanics
1. Solution of the Schrödinger equation for a central field
2. Solution of the Schrödinger equation for the Coulomb field
3. Solution of the Klein-Gordon equation for the Coulomb field
4. Solution of the Dirac equation for the Coulomb field
5. Clebsch-Gordan coefficients and their connection with the Hahn polynomials
6. The Wigner 6j-symbols and their connection with the Racah polynomials
27. Application of special functions to some problems of numerical analysis
1. Quadrature formulas of Gaussian type
2. Compression of information by means of classical orthogonal polynomials of a discrete variable
3. Application of modified Bessel functions to problems of laser sounding
Appendices
A. The Gamma function
B. Analytic properties and asymptotic representations of Laplace integrals
Basic formulas
List of tables
References
Index of notations
List of figures
Index