Digital Library of Mathematical Functions
About the Project
NIST
10 Bessel FunctionsModified Bessel Functions

§10.25 Definitions

Contents

§10.25(i) Modified Bessel’s Equation

This equation is obtained from Bessel’s equation (10.2.1) on replacing z by \pm iz, and it has the same kinds of singularities. Its solutions are called modified Bessel functions or Bessel functions of imaginary argument.

§10.25(ii) Standard Solutions

10.25.2\mathop{I_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right)=(\tfrac{1}{2}z)^{\nu}\sum_{{k=0}%
}^{\infty}\frac{(\tfrac{1}{4}z^{2})^{k}}{k!\mathop{\Gamma\/}\nolimits\!\left(%
\nu+k+1\right)}.

This solution has properties analogous to those of \mathop{J_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right), defined in §10.2(ii). In particular, the principal branch of \mathop{I_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) is defined in a similar way: it corresponds to the principal value of (\tfrac{1}{2}z)^{\nu}, is analytic in \Complex\setminus(-\infty,0], and two-valued and discontinuous on the cut \mathop{\mathrm{ph}\/}\nolimits z=\pm\pi.

The defining property of the second standard solution \mathop{K_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) of (10.25.1) is

10.25.3\mathop{K_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right)\sim\sqrt{\pi/(2z)}e^{{-z}},

as z\to\infty in |\mathop{\mathrm{ph}\/}\nolimits z|\leq\tfrac{3}{2}\pi-\delta (<\tfrac{3}{2}\pi). It has a branch point at z=0 for all \nu\in\Complex. The principal branch corresponds to the principal value of the square root in (10.25.3), is analytic in \Complex\setminus(-\infty,0], and two-valued and discontinuous on the cut \mathop{\mathrm{ph}\/}\nolimits z=\pm\pi.

Both \mathop{I_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) and \mathop{K_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) are real when \nu is real and \mathop{\mathrm{ph}\/}\nolimits z=0.

For fixed z (\neq 0) each branch of \mathop{I_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) and \mathop{K_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) is entire in \nu.

Branch Conventions

Except where indicated otherwise it is assumed throughout the DLMF that the symbols \mathop{I_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) and \mathop{K_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) denote the principal values of these functions.

Symbol \mathop{\mathscr{Z}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right)

Corresponding to the symbol \mathop{\mathscr{C}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits introduced in §10.2(ii), we sometimes use \mathop{\mathscr{Z}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) to denote \mathop{I_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right), e^{{\nu\pi i}}\mathop{K_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right), or any nontrivial linear combination of these functions, the coefficients in which are independent of z and \nu.

§10.25(iii) Numerically Satisfactory Pairs of Solutions

Table 10.25.1 lists numerically satisfactory pairs of solutions (§2.7(iv)) of (10.25.1). It is assumed that \realpart{\nu}\geq 0. When \realpart{\nu}<0, \mathop{I_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right) is replaced by \mathop{I_{{-\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right).

Table 10.25.1: Numerically satisfactory pairs of solutions of the modified Bessel’s equation.
Pair Region
\mathop{I_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right),\mathop{K_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!%
\left(z\right) |\mathop{\mathrm{ph}\/}\nolimits z|\leq\tfrac{1}{2}\pi
\mathop{I_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(z\right),\mathop{K_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!%
\left(ze^{{\mp\pi i}}\right) \tfrac{1}{2}\pi\leq\pm\mathop{\mathrm{ph}\/}\nolimits z\leq\tfrac{3}{2}\pi