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§31.14 General Fuchsian Equation

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§31.14(i) Definitions

The general second-order Fuchsian equation with N+1 regular singularities at z=a_{j}, j=1,2,\dots,N, and at \infty, is given by

The exponents at the finite singularities a_{j} are \{0,{1-\gamma_{j}}\} and those at \infty are \{\alpha,\beta\}, where

The three sets of parameters comprise the singularity parameters a_{j}, the exponent parameters \alpha,\beta,\gamma_{j}, and the N-2 free accessory parameters q_{j}. With a_{1}=0 and a_{2}=1 the total number of free parameters is 3N-3. Heun’s equation (31.2.1) corresponds to N=3.

§31.14(ii) Kovacic’s Algorithm

An algorithm given in Kovacic (1986) determines if a given (not necessarily Fuchsian) second-order homogeneous linear differential equation with rational coefficients has solutions expressible in finite terms (Liouvillean solutions). The algorithm returns a list of solutions if they exist.

For applications of Kovacic’s algorithm in spatio-temporal dynamics see Rod and Sleeman (1995).