B2.19

Methods of Mathematical Physics | Part II, 2004

(a) The Beta function is defined by

B(p,q)=∫01xp−1(1−x)q−1dx\mathrm{B}(p, q)=\int_{0}^{1} x^{p-1}(1-x)^{q-1} d x

Show that

B(p,q)=∫1∞x−p−q(x−1)q−1dx\mathrm{B}(p, q)=\int_{1}^{\infty} x^{-p-q}(x-1)^{q-1} d x

(b) The function J(p,q)J(p, q) is defined by

J(p,q)=∫γtp−1(1−t)q−1dtJ(p, q)=\int_{\gamma} t^{p-1}(1-t)^{q-1} d t

where the integrand has a branch cut along the positive real axis. Just above the cut, arg⁡t=0\arg t=0. For t>1t>1 just above the cut, arg (1−t)=−π(1-t)=-\pi. The contour γ\gamma runs from t=∞e2πit=\infty e^{2 \pi i}, round the origin in the negative sense, to t=∞t=\infty (i.e. the contour is a reflection of the usual Hankel contour). What restriction must be placed on pp and qq for the integral to converge?

By evaluating J(p,q)J(p, q) in two ways, show that

(1−e2πip)B(p,q)+(e−πi(q−1)−eπi(2p+q−1))B(1−p−q,q)=0,\left(1-e^{2 \pi i p}\right) \mathrm{B}(p, q)+\left(e^{-\pi i(q-1)}-e^{\pi i(2 p+q-1)}\right) \mathrm{B}(1-p-q, q)=0,

where pp and qq are any non-integer complex numbers.

Using the identity

B(p,q)=Γ(p)Γ(q)Γ(p+q)B(p, q)=\frac{\Gamma(p) \Gamma(q)}{\Gamma(p+q)}

deduce that

Γ(p)Γ(1−p)sin⁡(πp)=Γ(p+q)Γ(1−p−q)sin⁡[π(1−p−q)]\Gamma(p) \Gamma(1-p) \sin (\pi p)=\Gamma(p+q) \Gamma(1-p-q) \sin [\pi(1-p-q)]

and hence that

π=Γ(q)Γ(1−q)sin⁡[π(1−q)]\pi=\Gamma(q) \Gamma(1-q) \sin [\pi(1-q)]

Typos? Please submit corrections to this page on GitHub.