Bessel functions and modified Bessel functions are often used as approximants in the construction of uniform asymptotic approximations and expansions for solutions of linear second-order differential equations containing a parameter. The canonical form of differential equation for these problems is given by
where
is a real or complex variable and
is a large real or complex
parameter.
In regions in which (10.72.1) has a simple turning point
, that is,
and
are analytic (or with weaker conditions if
is a real variable) and
is a simple zero of
, asymptotic
expansions of the solutions
for large
can be constructed in terms of
Airy functions or equivalently Bessel functions or modified Bessel functions
of order
(§9.6(i)). These expansions are uniform with
respect to
, including the turning point
and its neighborhood, and
the region of validity often includes cut neighborhoods (§1.10(vi))
of other singularities
of the differential equation, especially irregular singularities.
If
has a double zero
, or more generally
is a zero of order
,
, then uniform asymptotic approximations (but
not expansions) can be constructed in terms of Bessel functions,
or modified Bessel functions, of order
. The number
can also be
replaced by any real constant
in the sense that
is analytic and nonvanishing at
; moreover,
is permitted to have a single or double pole at
. The order of
the approximating Bessel functions, or modified Bessel functions, is
, except in the case when
has a double pole at
.
See §2.8(v) for references.
In regions in which the function
has a simple pole at
and
is analytic at
(the case
in
§10.72(i)), asymptotic expansions of the solutions
of
(10.72.1) for large
can be constructed in terms of Bessel
functions and modified Bessel functions of order
, where
is the limiting value of
as
. These
asymptotic expansions are uniform with respect to
, including cut
neighborhoods of
, and again the region of uniformity often includes
cut neighborhoods of other singularities of the differential equation.
In (10.72.1) assume
and
depend continuously on a real parameter
,
has a simple
zero
and a double pole
, except for a critical value
, where
. Assume that whether or not
,
is analytic at
. Then for large
asymptotic
approximations of the solutions
can be constructed in terms of Bessel
functions, or modified Bessel functions, of variable order (in fact the order
depends on
and
). These approximations are uniform with respect to
both
and
, including
, the cut neighborhood of
, and
. See §2.8(vi) for references.