Digital Library of Mathematical Functions
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10 Bessel FunctionsModified Bessel Functions

§10.45 Functions of Imaginary Order

With z=x, and \nu replaced by i\nu, the modified Bessel’s equation (10.25.1) becomes

For \nu\in\Real and x \in(0,\infty) define

10.45.2\displaystyle\mathop{\widetilde{I}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right)=%
\realpart{(\mathop{I_{{i\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right))},\displaystyle\mathop{\widetilde{K}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right)=\mathop%
{K_{{i\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right).

Then

and \mathop{\widetilde{I}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right), \mathop{\widetilde{K}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right) are real and linearly independent solutions of (10.45.1):

In consequence of (10.45.5)–(10.45.7), \mathop{\widetilde{I}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right) and \mathop{\widetilde{K}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right) comprise a numerically satisfactory pair of solutions of (10.45.1) when x is large, and either \mathop{\widetilde{I}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right) and (1/\pi)\mathop{\sinh\/}\nolimits(\pi\nu)\mathop{\widetilde{K}_{{\nu}}\/}%
\nolimits\!\left(x\right), or \mathop{\widetilde{I}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right) and \mathop{\widetilde{K}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right), comprise a numerically satisfactory pair when x is small, depending whether \nu\neq 0 or \nu=0.

For graphs of \mathop{\widetilde{I}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right) and \mathop{\widetilde{K}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right) see §10.26(iii).

For properties of \mathop{\widetilde{I}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right) and \mathop{\widetilde{K}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right), including uniform asymptotic expansions for large \nu and zeros, see Dunster (1990a). In this reference \mathop{\widetilde{I}_{{\nu}}\/}\nolimits\!\left(x\right) is denoted by (1/\pi)\mathop{\sinh\/}\nolimits(\pi\nu)L_{{i\nu}}(x). See also Gil et al. (2003a) and Balogh (1967).