DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, MADRAS

EP211 Principles of Mathematical Physics Problem Set 7 7.4.2008
Due: 15.4.2007

The Bessel function of the first kind of order (not necessarily an integer)
has the integral representation (easily obtained from the generating function)
1  z 
Z
z2
J (z) = dt e(t 4t ) t1 ,
2i 2 C1

where the hairpin contour C1 encircles the branch cut of the factor t in the
integrand; this cut is taken to run from t = 0 to t = along the negative real
axis as shown in figure 1.
R
1. The contour C1 can be straightened out to yield J (z) = C2 (same integrand),
provided the complex number is restricted to a certain region of the -
plane. What is the region? (The contour C2 is given in figure 2.)

tplane tplane

C2

O (>0)
C1 O

Figure 2
Figure 1

2. Show that, when is an integer n, the integral representation reduces to

1
I
z 1
Jn (z) = du e 2 (u u ) un1 ,
2i C
where C is a simple closed contour encircling the origin with counterclock-
wise orientation.

3. Hence show that when n is a non-negative integer,

X (z/2)n+2k (1)k
Jn (z) = .
k=0
k! (n + k)!
4. Similarly show that when n is a negative integer,

X
n (z/2)|n|+2k (1)k
Jn (z) = (1)
k=0
k! (|n| + k)!

5. Using the representation in part 2., show that

1
Jn0 (z) = (Jn1 (z) Jn+1 (z)) ,
2
where the prime denotes differentiation w.r.t. z.

6. From the representation of part 2., taking C to be the unit circle, with
, show that
1
Z
Jn (z) = d cos(n z sin ) .
0