Modified Bessel Function Of The Second Kind
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Bessel functions, named after
Friedrich Bessel Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (; 22 July 1784 – 17 March 1846) was a German astronomer, mathematician, physicist, and geodesy, geodesist. He was the first astronomer who determined reliable values for the distance from the Sun to another star by th ...
who was the first to systematically study them in 1824, are canonical solutions of Bessel's differential equation x^2 \frac + x \frac + \left(x^2 - \alpha^2 \right)y = 0 for an arbitrary
complex number In mathematics, a complex number is an element of a number system that extends the real numbers with a specific element denoted , called the imaginary unit and satisfying the equation i^= -1; every complex number can be expressed in the for ...
\alpha, which represents the ''order'' of the Bessel function. Although \alpha and -\alpha produce the same differential equation, it is conventional to define different Bessel functions for these two values in such a way that the Bessel functions are mostly
smooth function In mathematical analysis, the smoothness of a function is a property measured by the number of continuous derivatives (''differentiability class)'' it has over its domain. A function of class C^k is a function of smoothness at least ; t ...
s of \alpha. The most important cases are when \alpha is an
integer An integer is the number zero (0), a positive natural number (1, 2, 3, ...), or the negation of a positive natural number (−1, −2, −3, ...). The negations or additive inverses of the positive natural numbers are referred to as negative in ...
or
half-integer In mathematics, a half-integer is a number of the form n + \tfrac, where n is an integer. For example, 4\tfrac12,\quad 7/2,\quad -\tfrac,\quad 8.5 are all ''half-integers''. The name "half-integer" is perhaps misleading, as each integer n is its ...
. Bessel functions for integer \alpha are also known as cylinder functions or the cylindrical harmonics because they appear in the solution to
Laplace's equation In mathematics and physics, Laplace's equation is a second-order partial differential equation named after Pierre-Simon Laplace, who first studied its properties in 1786. This is often written as \nabla^2\! f = 0 or \Delta f = 0, where \Delt ...
in
cylindrical coordinates A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...
. Spherical Bessel functions with half-integer \alpha are obtained when solving the
Helmholtz equation In mathematics, the Helmholtz equation is the eigenvalue problem for the Laplace operator. It corresponds to the elliptic partial differential equation: \nabla^2 f = -k^2 f, where is the Laplace operator, is the eigenvalue, and is the (eigen)fun ...
in
spherical coordinates In mathematics, a spherical coordinate system specifies a given point in three-dimensional space by using a distance and two angles as its three coordinates. These are * the radial distance along the line connecting the point to a fixed point ...
.


Applications

Bessel's equation arises when finding separable solutions to
Laplace's equation In mathematics and physics, Laplace's equation is a second-order partial differential equation named after Pierre-Simon Laplace, who first studied its properties in 1786. This is often written as \nabla^2\! f = 0 or \Delta f = 0, where \Delt ...
and the
Helmholtz equation In mathematics, the Helmholtz equation is the eigenvalue problem for the Laplace operator. It corresponds to the elliptic partial differential equation: \nabla^2 f = -k^2 f, where is the Laplace operator, is the eigenvalue, and is the (eigen)fun ...
in cylindrical or
spherical coordinates In mathematics, a spherical coordinate system specifies a given point in three-dimensional space by using a distance and two angles as its three coordinates. These are * the radial distance along the line connecting the point to a fixed point ...
. Bessel functions are therefore especially important for many problems of
wave propagation In physics, mathematics, engineering, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities. '' Periodic waves'' oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium (resting) value at some f ...
and static potentials. In solving problems in cylindrical coordinate systems, one obtains Bessel functions of integer order (); in spherical problems, one obtains half-integer orders (). For example: *
Electromagnetic waves In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is a self-propagating wave of the electromagnetic field that carries momentum and radiant energy through space. It encompasses a broad spectrum, classified by frequency or its inverse, wavelength, ran ...
in a cylindrical
waveguide A waveguide is a structure that guides waves by restricting the transmission of energy to one direction. Common types of waveguides include acoustic waveguides which direct sound, optical waveguides which direct light, and radio-frequency w ...
* Pressure amplitudes of inviscid rotational flows *
Heat conduction Thermal conduction is the diffusion of thermal energy (heat) within one material or between materials in contact. The higher temperature object has molecules with more kinetic energy; collisions between molecules distributes this kinetic energy u ...
in a cylindrical object * Modes of vibration of a thin circular or annular acoustic membrane (such as a
drumhead A drumhead or drum skin is a membrane stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. The drumhead is struck with sticks, mallets, or hands, so that it vibrates and the sound resonates through the drum. Additionally outside of percus ...
or other
membranophone A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a acoustic membrane, vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument ...
) or thicker plates such as sheet metal (see Kirchhoff–Love plate theory, Mindlin–Reissner plate theory) * Diffusion problems on a lattice * Solutions to the
Schrödinger equation The Schrödinger equation is a partial differential equation that governs the wave function of a non-relativistic quantum-mechanical system. Its discovery was a significant landmark in the development of quantum mechanics. It is named after E ...
in spherical and cylindrical coordinates for a free particle * Position space representation of the Feynman
propagator In quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, the propagator is a function that specifies the probability amplitude for a particle to travel from one place to another in a given period of time, or to travel with a certain energy and momentum. I ...
in
quantum field theory In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines Field theory (physics), field theory and the principle of relativity with ideas behind quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct phy ...
* Solving for patterns of acoustical radiation * Frequency-dependent friction in circular pipelines * Dynamics of floating bodies *
Angular resolution Angular resolution describes the ability of any image-forming device such as an Optical telescope, optical or radio telescope, a microscope, a camera, or an Human eye, eye, to distinguish small details of an object, thereby making it a major det ...
* Diffraction from helical objects, including
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
*
Probability density function In probability theory, a probability density function (PDF), density function, or density of an absolutely continuous random variable, is a Function (mathematics), function whose value at any given sample (or point) in the sample space (the s ...
of product of two normally distributed random variables * Analyzing of the surface waves generated by microtremors, in
geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...
and
seismology Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes (or generally, quakes) and the generation and propagation of elastic ...
. Bessel functions also appear in other problems, such as signal processing (e.g., see FM audio synthesis,
Kaiser window The Kaiser window, also known as the Kaiser–Bessel window, was developed by James Kaiser at Bell Laboratories. It is a one-parameter family of window functions used in finite impulse response filter design and spectral estimation, spectral anal ...
, or Bessel filter).


Definitions

Because this is a linear differential equation, solutions can be scaled to any amplitude. The amplitudes chosen for the functions originate from the early work in which the functions appeared as solutions to definite integrals rather than solutions to differential equations. Because the differential equation is second-order, there must be two
linearly independent In the theory of vector spaces, a set of vectors is said to be if there exists no nontrivial linear combination of the vectors that equals the zero vector. If such a linear combination exists, then the vectors are said to be . These concep ...
solutions: one of the first kind and one of the second kind. Depending upon the circumstances, however, various formulations of these solutions are convenient. Different variations are summarized in the table below and described in the following sections.The subscript ''n'' is typically used in place of \alpha when \alpha is known to be an integer. Bessel functions of the second kind and the spherical Bessel functions of the second kind are sometimes denoted by and , respectively, rather than and .


Bessel functions of the first kind: ''Jα''

Bessel functions of the first kind, denoted as , are solutions of Bessel's differential equation. For integer or positive , Bessel functions of the first kind are finite at the origin (); while for negative non-integer , Bessel functions of the first kind diverge as approaches zero. It is possible to define the function by x^\alpha times a
Maclaurin series Maclaurin or MacLaurin is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Colin Maclaurin (1698–1746), Scottish mathematician * Normand MacLaurin (1835–1914), Australian politician and university administrator * Henry Normand MacLaurin ...
(note that need not be an integer, and non-integer powers are not permitted in a Taylor series), which can be found by applying the Frobenius method to Bessel's equation:Abramowitz and Stegun
p. 360, 9.1.10
J_\alpha(x) = \sum_^\infty \frac ^, where is the
gamma function In mathematics, the gamma function (represented by Γ, capital Greek alphabet, Greek letter gamma) is the most common extension of the factorial function to complex numbers. Derived by Daniel Bernoulli, the gamma function \Gamma(z) is defined ...
, a shifted generalization of the
factorial In mathematics, the factorial of a non-negative denoted is the Product (mathematics), product of all positive integers less than or equal The factorial also equals the product of n with the next smaller factorial: \begin n! &= n \times ...
function to non-integer values. Some earlier authors define the Bessel function of the first kind differently, essentially without the division by 2 in x/2; this definition is not used in this article. The Bessel function of the first kind is an
entire function In complex analysis, an entire function, also called an integral function, is a complex-valued function that is holomorphic on the whole complex plane. Typical examples of entire functions are polynomials and the exponential function, and any ...
if is an integer, otherwise it is a
multivalued function In mathematics, a multivalued function, multiple-valued function, many-valued function, or multifunction, is a function that has two or more values in its range for at least one point in its domain. It is a set-valued function with additional p ...
with singularity at zero. The graphs of Bessel functions look roughly like oscillating
sine In mathematics, sine and cosine are trigonometric functions of an angle. The sine and cosine of an acute angle are defined in the context of a right triangle: for the specified angle, its sine is the ratio of the length of the side opposite th ...
or
cosine In mathematics, sine and cosine are trigonometric functions of an angle. The sine and cosine of an acute angle are defined in the context of a right triangle: for the specified angle, its sine is the ratio of the length of the side opposite that ...
functions that decay proportionally to x^ (see also their asymptotic forms below), although their roots are not generally periodic, except asymptotically for large . (The series indicates that is the derivative of , much like is the derivative of ; more generally, the derivative of can be expressed in terms of by the identities
below Below may refer to: *Earth *Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor * Bottom (disambiguation) *Less than *Temperatures below freezing *Hell or underworld People with the surname * Ernst von Below (1863–1955), German World War I general * Fred Belo ...
.) For non-integer , the functions and are linearly independent, and are therefore the two solutions of the differential equation. On the other hand, for integer order , the following relationship is valid (the gamma function has simple poles at each of the non-positive integers): J_(x) = (-1)^n J_n(x). This means that the two solutions are no longer linearly independent. In this case, the second linearly independent solution is then found to be the Bessel function of the second kind, as discussed below.


Bessel's integrals

Another definition of the Bessel function, for integer values of , is possible using an integral representation: J_n(x) = \frac \int_0^\pi \cos (n \tau - x \sin \tau) \,d\tau = \frac \operatorname\left(\int_^\pi e^ \,d\tau\right), which is also called Hansen-Bessel formula. This was the approach that Bessel used, and from this definition he derived several properties of the function. The definition may be extended to non-integer orders by one of Schläfli's integrals, for : J_\alpha(x) = \frac \int_0^\pi \cos(\alpha\tau - x \sin\tau)\,d\tau - \frac \int_0^\infty e^ \, dt.


Relation to hypergeometric series

The Bessel functions can be expressed in terms of the generalized hypergeometric series as J_\alpha(x) = \frac \;_0F_1 \left(\alpha+1; -\frac\right). This expression is related to the development of Bessel functions in terms of the Bessel–Clifford function.


Relation to Laguerre polynomials

In terms of the Laguerre polynomials and arbitrarily chosen parameter , the Bessel function can be expressed as \frac = \frac \sum_^\infty \frac \frac.


Bessel functions of the second kind: ''Yα''

The Bessel functions of the second kind, denoted by , occasionally denoted instead by , are solutions of the Bessel differential equation that have a singularity at the origin () and are multivalued. These are sometimes called Weber functions, as they were introduced by , and also Neumann functions after
Carl Neumann Carl Gottfried Neumann (also Karl; 7 May 1832 – 27 March 1925) was a German Mathematical physics, mathematical physicist and professor at several German universities. His work focused on applications of potential theory to physics and mathemati ...
. For non-integer , is related to by Y_\alpha(x) = \frac. In the case of integer order , the function is defined by taking the limit as a non-integer tends to : Y_n(x) = \lim_ Y_\alpha(x). If is a nonnegative integer, we have the series Y_n(z) =-\frac\sum_^ \frac\left(\frac\right)^k +\frac J_n(z) \ln \frac -\frac\sum_^\infty (\psi(k+1)+\psi(n+k+1)) \frac where \psi(z) is the
digamma function In mathematics, the digamma function is defined as the logarithmic derivative of the gamma function: :\psi(z) = \frac\ln\Gamma(z) = \frac. It is the first of the polygamma functions. This function is Monotonic function, strictly increasing a ...
, the
logarithmic derivative In mathematics, specifically in calculus and complex analysis, the logarithmic derivative of a function is defined by the formula \frac where is the derivative of . Intuitively, this is the infinitesimal relative change in ; that is, the in ...
of the
gamma function In mathematics, the gamma function (represented by Γ, capital Greek alphabet, Greek letter gamma) is the most common extension of the factorial function to complex numbers. Derived by Daniel Bernoulli, the gamma function \Gamma(z) is defined ...
. There is also a corresponding integral formula (for ):Watson
p. 178
Y_n(x) = \frac \int_0^\pi \sin(x \sin\theta - n\theta) \, d\theta -\frac \int_0^\infty \left(e^ + (-1)^n e^ \right) e^ \, dt. In the case where : (with \gamma being Euler's constant)Y_\left(x\right)=\frac\int_^\cos\left(x\cos\theta\right)\left(\gamma+\ln\left(2x\sin^2\theta\right)\right)\, d\theta. is necessary as the second linearly independent solution of the Bessel's equation when is an integer. But has more meaning than that. It can be considered as a "natural" partner of . See also the subsection on Hankel functions below. When is an integer, moreover, as was similarly the case for the functions of the first kind, the following relationship is valid: Y_(x) = (-1)^n Y_n(x). Both and are
holomorphic function In mathematics, a holomorphic function is a complex-valued function of one or more complex variables that is complex differentiable in a neighbourhood of each point in a domain in complex coordinate space . The existence of a complex de ...
s of on the
complex plane In mathematics, the complex plane is the plane (geometry), plane formed by the complex numbers, with a Cartesian coordinate system such that the horizontal -axis, called the real axis, is formed by the real numbers, and the vertical -axis, call ...
cut along the negative real axis. When is an integer, the Bessel functions are
entire function In complex analysis, an entire function, also called an integral function, is a complex-valued function that is holomorphic on the whole complex plane. Typical examples of entire functions are polynomials and the exponential function, and any ...
s of . If is held fixed at a non-zero value, then the Bessel functions are entire functions of . The Bessel functions of the second kind when is an integer is an example of the second kind of solution in Fuchs's theorem.


Hankel functions: ''H'', ''H''

Another important formulation of the two linearly independent solutions to Bessel's equation are the Hankel functions of the first and second kind, and , defined as \begin H_\alpha^(x) &= J_\alpha(x) + iY_\alpha(x), \\ ptH_\alpha^(x) &= J_\alpha(x) - iY_\alpha(x), \end where is the
imaginary unit The imaginary unit or unit imaginary number () is a mathematical constant that is a solution to the quadratic equation Although there is no real number with this property, can be used to extend the real numbers to what are called complex num ...
. These linear combinations are also known as Bessel functions of the third kind; they are two linearly independent solutions of Bessel's differential equation. They are named after
Hermann Hankel Hermann Hankel (14 February 1839 – 29 August 1873) was a German mathematician. Having worked on mathematical analysis during his career, he is best known for introducing the Hankel transform and the Hankel matrix. Biography Hankel was born on ...
. These forms of linear combination satisfy numerous simple-looking properties, like asymptotic formulae or integral representations. Here, "simple" means an appearance of a factor of the form . For real x>0 where J_\alpha(x), Y_\alpha(x) are real-valued, the Bessel functions of the first and second kind are the real and imaginary parts, respectively, of the first Hankel function and the real and negative imaginary parts of the second Hankel function. Thus, the above formulae are analogs of
Euler's formula Euler's formula, named after Leonhard Euler, is a mathematical formula in complex analysis that establishes the fundamental relationship between the trigonometric functions and the complex exponential function. Euler's formula states that, for ...
, substituting , for e^ and J_\alpha(x), Y_\alpha(x) for \cos(x), \sin(x), as explicitly shown in the
asymptotic expansion In mathematics, an asymptotic expansion, asymptotic series or Poincaré expansion (after Henri Poincaré) is a formal series of functions which has the property that truncating the series after a finite number of terms provides an approximation ...
. The Hankel functions are used to express outward- and inward-propagating cylindrical-wave solutions of the cylindrical wave equation, respectively (or vice versa, depending on the
sign convention In physics, a sign convention is a choice of the physical significance of signs (plus or minus) for a set of quantities, in a case where the choice of sign is arbitrary. "Arbitrary" here means that the same physical system can be correctly descri ...
for the
frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. Frequency is an important parameter used in science and engineering to specify the rate of oscillatory and vibratory phenomena, such as mechanical vibrations, audio ...
). Using the previous relationships, they can be expressed as \begin H_\alpha^(x) &= \frac, \\ ptH_\alpha^(x) &= \frac. \end If is an integer, the limit has to be calculated. The following relationships are valid, whether is an integer or not: \begin H_^(x) &= e^ H_\alpha^ (x), \\ muH_^(x) &= e^ H_\alpha^ (x). \end In particular, if with a nonnegative integer, the above relations imply directly that \begin J_(x) &= (-1)^ Y_(x), \\ ptY_(x) &= (-1)^m J_(x). \end These are useful in developing the spherical Bessel functions (see below). The Hankel functions admit the following integral representations for : \begin H_\alpha^(x) &= \frac\int_^ e^ \, dt, \\ ptH_\alpha^(x) &= -\frac\int_^ e^ \, dt, \end where the integration limits indicate integration along a contour that can be chosen as follows: from to 0 along the negative real axis, from 0 to along the imaginary axis, and from to along a contour parallel to the real axis.


Modified Bessel functions: ''Iα'', ''Kα''

The Bessel functions are valid even for
complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
arguments , and an important special case is that of a purely imaginary argument. In this case, the solutions to the Bessel equation are called the modified Bessel functions (or occasionally the hyperbolic Bessel functions) of the first and second kind and are defined as \begin I_\alpha(x) &= i^ J_\alpha(ix) = \sum_^\infty \frac\left(\frac\right)^, \\ ptK_\alpha(x) &= \frac \frac, \end when is not an integer. When is an integer, then the limit is used. These are chosen to be real-valued for real and positive arguments . The series expansion for is thus similar to that for , but without the alternating factor. K_ can be expressed in terms of Hankel functions: K_(x) = \begin \frac i^ H_\alpha^(ix) & -\pi < \arg x \leq \frac \\ \frac (-i)^ H_\alpha^(-ix) & -\frac < \arg x \leq \pi \end Using these two formulae the result to J_^2(z)+Y_^2(z), commonly known as Nicholson's integral or Nicholson's formula, can be obtained to give the following J_^2(x)+Y_^2(x)=\frac\int_^\cosh(2\alpha t)K_0(2x\sinh t)\, dt, given that the condition is met. It can also be shown that J_\alpha^2(x)+Y_^2(x)=\frac \int_0^\infty K_(2x\sinh t)\, dt, only when and but not when . We can express the first and second Bessel functions in terms of the modified Bessel functions (these are valid if ): \begin J_\alpha(iz) &= e^ I_\alpha(z), \\ exY_\alpha(iz) &= e^I_\alpha(z) - \tfrac e^K_\alpha(z). \end and are the two linearly independent solutions to the modified Bessel's equation: x^2 \frac + x \frac - \left(x^2 + \alpha^2 \right)y = 0. Unlike the ordinary Bessel functions, which are oscillating as functions of a real argument, and are exponentially growing and decaying functions respectively. Like the ordinary Bessel function , the function goes to zero at for and is finite at for . Analogously, diverges at with the singularity being of logarithmic type for , and otherwise. Two integral formulas for the modified Bessel functions are (for ): \begin I_\alpha(x) &= \frac\int_0^\pi e^ \cos \alpha\theta \,d\theta - \frac\int_0^\infty e^ \,dt, \\ ptK_\alpha(x) &= \int_0^\infty e^ \cosh \alpha t \,dt. \end Bessel functions can be described as Fourier transforms of powers of quadratic functions. For example (for ): 2\,K_0(\omega) = \int_^\infty \frac \,dt. It can be proven by showing equality to the above integral definition for . This is done by integrating a closed curve in the first quadrant of the complex plane. Modified Bessel functions of the second kind may be represented with Bassett's integral K_n(xz) = \frac \int_0^\infty \frac. Modified Bessel functions and can be represented in terms of rapidly convergent integrals \begin K_(\xi) &= \sqrt \int_0^\infty \exp \left(- \xi \left(1+\frac\right) \sqrt \right) \,dx, \\ ptK_(\xi) &= \frac \int_0^\infty \frac \exp \left(- \xi \left(1+\frac\right) \sqrt\right) \,dx. \end The modified Bessel function K_(\xi)=(2 \xi / \pi)^\exp(-\xi) is useful to represent the Laplace distribution as an Exponential-scale mixture of normal distributions. The modified Bessel function of the second kind has also been called by the following names (now rare): * Basset function after
Alfred Barnard Basset Alfred Barnard Basset FRS (25 July 1854 – 5 December 1930) was a British mathematician working on algebraic geometry, electrodynamics and hydrodynamics. In fluid dynamics, the Basset force—also known as the Boussinesq–Basset force—descr ...
* Modified Bessel function of the third kind * Modified Hankel function * Macdonald function after Hector Munro Macdonald


Spherical Bessel functions: ''jn'', ''yn''

When solving the
Helmholtz equation In mathematics, the Helmholtz equation is the eigenvalue problem for the Laplace operator. It corresponds to the elliptic partial differential equation: \nabla^2 f = -k^2 f, where is the Laplace operator, is the eigenvalue, and is the (eigen)fun ...
in spherical coordinates by separation of variables, the radial equation has the form x^2 \frac + 2x \frac +\left(x^2 - n(n + 1)\right) y = 0. The two linearly independent solutions to this equation are called the spherical Bessel functions and , and are related to the ordinary Bessel functions and by \begin j_n(x) &= \sqrt J_(x), \\ y_n(x) &= \sqrt Y_(x) = (-1)^ \sqrt J_(x). \end is also denoted or ; some authors call these functions the spherical Neumann functions. From the relations to the ordinary Bessel functions it is directly seen that: \begin j_n(x) &= (-1)^ y_ (x) \\ y_n(x) &= (-1)^ j_(x) \end The spherical Bessel functions can also be written as () \begin j_n(x) &= (-x)^n \left(\frac\frac\right)^n \frac, \\ y_n(x) &= -(-x)^n \left(\frac\frac\right)^n \frac. \end The zeroth spherical Bessel function is also known as the (unnormalized) sinc function. The first few spherical Bessel functions are: \begin j_0(x) &= \frac. \\ j_1(x) &= \frac - \frac, \\ j_2(x) &= \left(\frac - 1\right) \frac - \frac, \\ j_3(x) &= \left(\frac - \frac\right) \frac - \left(\frac - 1\right) \frac \end and \begin y_0(x) &= -j_(x) = -\frac, \\ y_1(x) &= j_(x) = -\frac - \frac, \\ y_2(x) &= -j_(x) = \left(-\frac + 1\right) \frac - \frac, \\ y_3(x) &= j_(x) = \left(-\frac + \frac\right) \frac - \left(\frac - 1\right) \frac. \end The first few non-zero roots of the first few spherical Bessel functions are:


Generating function

The spherical Bessel functions have the generating functions \begin \frac \cos \left(\sqrt\right) &= \sum_^\infty \frac j_(z), \\ \frac \sin \left(\sqrt\right) &= \sum_^\infty \frac y_(z). \end


Finite series expansions

In contrast to the whole integer Bessel functions , the spherical Bessel functions have a finite series expression: \begin j_n(x) &= \sqrtJ_(x) = \\ &= \frac \left e^ \sum_^n \frac + e^ \sum_^n \frac \right\\ &= \frac \left \sin\left(x-\frac\right) \sum_^ \frac + \cos\left(x-\frac\right) \sum_^ \frac \right\\ y_n(x) &= (-1)^ j_(x) = (-1)^ \fracJ_(x) = \\ &= \frac \left e^ \sum_^n \frac + e^ \sum_^n \frac \right= \\ &= \frac \left \cos\left(x+\frac\right) \sum_^ \frac - \sin\left(x+\frac\right) \sum_^ \frac \right\end


Differential relations

In the following, is any of , , , for \begin \left(\frac\frac\right)^m \left (z^ f_n(z)\right ) &= z^ f_(z), \\ \left(\frac\frac\right)^m \left (z^ f_n(z)\right ) &= (-1)^m z^ f_(z). \end


Spherical Hankel functions: ''h'', ''h''

There are also spherical analogues of the Hankel functions: \begin h_n^(x) &= j_n(x) + i y_n(x), \\ h_n^(x) &= j_n(x) - i y_n(x). \end There are simple closed-form expressions for the Bessel functions of
half-integer In mathematics, a half-integer is a number of the form n + \tfrac, where n is an integer. For example, 4\tfrac12,\quad 7/2,\quad -\tfrac,\quad 8.5 are all ''half-integers''. The name "half-integer" is perhaps misleading, as each integer n is its ...
order in terms of the standard
trigonometric function In mathematics, the trigonometric functions (also called circular functions, angle functions or goniometric functions) are real functions which relate an angle of a right-angled triangle to ratios of two side lengths. They are widely used in all ...
s, and therefore for the spherical Bessel functions. In particular, for non-negative integers : h_n^(x) = (-i)^ \frac \sum_^n \frac \frac, and is the complex-conjugate of this (for real ). It follows, for example, that and , and so on. The spherical Hankel functions appear in problems involving spherical wave propagation, for example in the multipole expansion of the electromagnetic field.


Riccati–Bessel functions: ''Sn'', ''Cn'', ''ξn'', ''ζn''

Riccati–Bessel functions only slightly differ from spherical Bessel functions: \begin S_n(x) &= x j_n(x) = \sqrt J_(x) \\ C_n(x) &= -x y_n(x) = -\sqrt Y_(x) \\ \xi_n(x) &= x h_n^(x) = \sqrt H_^(x) = S_n(x) - iC_n(x) \\ \zeta_n(x) &= x h_n^(x) = \sqrt H_^(x) = S_n(x) + iC_n(x) \end They satisfy the differential equation x^2 \frac + \left (x^2 - n(n + 1)\right) y = 0. For example, this kind of differential equation appears in
quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...
while solving the radial component of the
Schrödinger equation The Schrödinger equation is a partial differential equation that governs the wave function of a non-relativistic quantum-mechanical system. Its discovery was a significant landmark in the development of quantum mechanics. It is named after E ...
with hypothetical cylindrical infinite potential barrier. This differential equation, and the Riccati–Bessel solutions, also arises in the problem of scattering of electromagnetic waves by a sphere, known as
Mie scattering In electromagnetism, the Mie solution to Maxwell's equations (also known as the Lorenz–Mie solution, the Lorenz–Mie–Debye solution or Mie scattering) describes the scattering of an electromagnetic plane wave by a homogeneous sphere. The sol ...
after the first published solution by Mie (1908). See e.g., Du (2004) for recent developments and references. Following Debye (1909), the notation , is sometimes used instead of , .


Asymptotic forms

The Bessel functions have the following
asymptotic In analytic geometry, an asymptote () of a curve is a line such that the distance between the curve and the line approaches zero as one or both of the ''x'' or ''y'' coordinates Limit of a function#Limits at infinity, tends to infinity. In pro ...
forms. For small arguments 0, one obtains, when \alpha is not a negative integer: J_\alpha(z) \sim \frac \left( \frac \right)^\alpha. When is a negative integer, we have J_\alpha(z) \sim \frac \left( \frac \right)^\alpha. For the Bessel function of the second kind we have three cases: Y_\alpha(z) \sim \begin \dfrac \left( \ln \left(\dfrac \right) + \gamma \right) & \text \alpha = 0 \\ ex-\dfrac \left( \dfrac \right)^\alpha + \dfrac \left(\dfrac \right)^\alpha \cot(\alpha \pi) & \text \alpha \text \alpha \text, \\ ex -\dfrac \left( \dfrac \right)^\alpha & \text \alpha\text \end where is the
Euler–Mascheroni constant Euler's constant (sometimes called the Euler–Mascheroni constant) is a mathematical constant, usually denoted by the lowercase Greek letter gamma (), defined as the limiting difference between the harmonic series and the natural logarith ...
(0.5772...). For large real arguments , one cannot write a true asymptotic form for Bessel functions of the first and second kind (unless is
half-integer In mathematics, a half-integer is a number of the form n + \tfrac, where n is an integer. For example, 4\tfrac12,\quad 7/2,\quad -\tfrac,\quad 8.5 are all ''half-integers''. The name "half-integer" is perhaps misleading, as each integer n is its ...
) because they have zeros all the way out to infinity, which would have to be matched exactly by any asymptotic expansion. However, for a given value of one can write an equation containing a term of order : \begin J_\alpha(z) &= \sqrt\left(\cos \left(z-\frac - \frac\right) + e^\mathcal\left(, z, ^\right)\right) && \text \left, \arg z\ < \pi, \\ Y_\alpha(z) &= \sqrt\left(\sin \left(z-\frac - \frac\right) + e^\mathcal\left(, z, ^\right)\right) && \text \left, \arg z\ < \pi. \end (For , the last terms in these formulas drop out completely; see the spherical Bessel functions above.) The asymptotic forms for the Hankel functions are: \begin H_\alpha^(z) &\sim \sqrte^ && \text -\pi < \arg z < 2\pi, \\ H_\alpha^(z) &\sim \sqrte^ && \text -2\pi < \arg z < \pi. \end These can be extended to other values of using equations relating and to and . It is interesting that although the Bessel function of the first kind is the average of the two Hankel functions, is not asymptotic to the average of these two asymptotic forms when is negative (because one or the other will not be correct there, depending on the used). But the asymptotic forms for the Hankel functions permit us to write asymptotic forms for the Bessel functions of first and second kinds for ''complex'' (non-real) so long as goes to infinity at a constant phase angle (using the square root having positive real part): \begin J_\alpha(z) &\sim \frac e^ && \text -\pi < \arg z < 0, \\ exJ_\alpha(z) &\sim \frac e^ && \text 0 < \arg z < \pi, \\ exY_\alpha(z) &\sim -i\frac e^ && \text -\pi < \arg z < 0, \\ exY_\alpha(z) &\sim i\frac e^ && \text 0 < \arg z < \pi. \end For the modified Bessel functions, Hankel developed
asymptotic expansion In mathematics, an asymptotic expansion, asymptotic series or Poincaré expansion (after Henri Poincaré) is a formal series of functions which has the property that truncating the series after a finite number of terms provides an approximation ...
s as well: \begin I_\alpha(z) &\sim \frac \left(1 - \frac + \frac - \frac + \cdots \right) &&\text\left, \arg z\<\frac, \\ K_\alpha(z) &\sim \sqrt e^ \left(1 + \frac + \frac + \frac + \cdots \right) &&\text\left, \arg z\<\frac. \end There is also the asymptotic form (for large real z) \begin I_\alpha(z) = \frac\exp\left(-\alpha \operatorname\left(\frac\right) + z\sqrt\right)\left(1 + \mathcal\left(\frac\right)\right). \end When , all the terms except the first vanish, and we have \begin I_(z) &= \sqrt \frac \sim \frac && \text\left, \arg z\ < \tfrac, \\ exK_(z) &= \sqrt \frac. \end For small arguments 0<, z, \ll\sqrt, we have \begin I_\alpha(z) &\sim \frac \left( \frac \right)^\alpha, \\ exK_\alpha(z) &\sim \begin -\ln \left (\dfrac \right ) - \gamma & \text \alpha=0 \\ ex \frac \left( \dfrac \right)^\alpha & \text \alpha > 0 \end \end


Properties

For integer order , is often defined via a
Laurent series In mathematics, the Laurent series of a complex function f(z) is a representation of that function as a power series which includes terms of negative degree. It may be used to express complex functions in cases where a Taylor series expansio ...
for a generating function: e^ = \sum_^\infty J_n(x) t^n an approach used by P. A. Hansen in 1843. (This can be generalized to non-integer order by
contour integration In the mathematical field of complex analysis, contour integration is a method of evaluating certain integrals along paths in the complex plane. Contour integration is closely related to the Residue theorem, calculus of residues, a method of co ...
or other methods.) Infinite series of Bessel functions in the form \sum_^\infty J_(x) where \nu, p \in \mathbb, \ N \in \mathbb^+ arise in many physical systems and are defined in closed form by the Sung series. For example, when N = 3: \sum_^\infty J_(x) = \frac\left +2\cos\right. More generally, the Sung series and the alternating Sung series are written as: \sum_^\infty J_(x) = \frac\sum_^ e^e^ \sum_^\infty (-1)^\nu J_(x) = \frac \sum_^e^e^ A series expansion using Bessel functions (
Kapteyn series Kapteyn may refer to: * Jacobus Kapteyn - Astronomer ** Parallactic instrument of Kapteyn - the instrument used by Kapteyn to analyze photographic plates ** Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope - telescope named after Jacobus Kapteyn ** Kapteyn's Star - s ...
) is \frac = 1 + 2 \sum _^ J_(nz). Another important relation for integer orders is the '' Jacobi–Anger expansion'': e^ = \sum_^\infty i^n J_n(z) e^ and e^ = J_0(z)+2\sum_^\infty J_(z) \cos(2n\phi) \pm 2i \sum_^\infty J_(z)\sin((2n+1)\phi) which is used to expand a
plane wave In physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of ...
as a sum of cylindrical waves, or to find the
Fourier series A Fourier series () is an Series expansion, expansion of a periodic function into a sum of trigonometric functions. The Fourier series is an example of a trigonometric series. By expressing a function as a sum of sines and cosines, many problems ...
of a tone-modulated FM signal. More generally, a series f(z)=a_0^\nu J_\nu (z)+ 2 \cdot \sum_^\infty a_k^\nu J_(z) is called Neumann expansion of . The coefficients for have the explicit form a_k^0=\frac \int_ f(z) O_k(z) \,dz where is Neumann's polynomial. Selected functions admit the special representation f(z)=\sum_^\infty a_k^\nu J_(z) with a_k^\nu=2(\nu+2k) \int_0^\infty f(z) \fracz \,dz due to the orthogonality relation \int_0^\infty J_\alpha(z) J_\beta(z) \frac z= \frac 2 \pi \frac More generally, if has a branch-point near the origin of such a nature that f(z)= \sum_ a_k J_(z) then \mathcal\left\(s)=\frac\sum_\frac or \sum_ a_k \xi^= \frac \mathcal\ \left( \frac \right) where \mathcal\ is the
Laplace transform In mathematics, the Laplace transform, named after Pierre-Simon Laplace (), is an integral transform that converts a Function (mathematics), function of a Real number, real Variable (mathematics), variable (usually t, in the ''time domain'') to a f ...
of . Another way to define the Bessel functions is the Poisson representation formula and the Mehler-Sonine formula: \begin J_\nu(z) &= \frac \int_^1 e^\left(1-s^2\right)^ \,ds \\ px&=\frac 2 \int_1^\infty \frac \,du \end where and . This formula is useful especially when working with
Fourier transforms In mathematics, the Fourier transform (FT) is an integral transform that takes a function (mathematics), function as input then outputs another function that describes the extent to which various Frequency, frequencies are present in the origin ...
. Because Bessel's equation becomes
Hermitian {{Short description, none Numerous things are named after the French mathematician Charles Hermite (1822–1901): Hermite * Cubic Hermite spline, a type of third-degree spline * Gauss–Hermite quadrature, an extension of Gaussian quadrature me ...
(self-adjoint) if it is divided by , the solutions must satisfy an orthogonality relationship for appropriate boundary conditions. In particular, it follows that: \int_0^1 x J_\alpha\left(x u_\right) J_\alpha\left(x u_\right) \,dx = \frac \left _ \left(u_\right)\right2 = \frac \left _'\left(u_\right)\right2 where , is the
Kronecker delta In mathematics, the Kronecker delta (named after Leopold Kronecker) is a function of two variables, usually just non-negative integers. The function is 1 if the variables are equal, and 0 otherwise: \delta_ = \begin 0 &\text i \neq j, \\ 1 &\ ...
, and is the th
zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. Adding (or subtracting) 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged; in mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and compl ...
of . This orthogonality relation can then be used to extract the coefficients in the Fourier–Bessel series, where a function is expanded in the basis of the functions for fixed and varying . An analogous relationship for the spherical Bessel functions follows immediately: \int_0^1 x^2 j_\alpha\left(x u_\right) j_\alpha\left(x u_\right) \,dx = \frac \left _\left(u_\right)\right2 If one defines a boxcar function of that depends on a small parameter as: f_\varepsilon(x)=\frac 1\varepsilon \operatorname\left(\frac\varepsilon\right) (where is the rectangle function) then the Hankel transform of it (of any given order ), , approaches as approaches zero, for any given . Conversely, the Hankel transform (of the same order) of is : \int_0^\infty k J_\alpha(kx) g_\varepsilon(k) \,dk = f_\varepsilon(x) which is zero everywhere except near 1. As approaches zero, the right-hand side approaches , where is the
Dirac delta function In mathematical analysis, the Dirac delta function (or distribution), also known as the unit impulse, is a generalized function on the real numbers, whose value is zero everywhere except at zero, and whose integral over the entire real line ...
. This admits the limit (in the distributional sense): \int_0^\infty k J_\alpha(kx) J_\alpha(k) \,dk = \delta(x-1) A change of variables then yields the ''closure equation'': \int_0^\infty x J_\alpha(ux) J_\alpha(vx) \,dx = \frac \delta(u - v) for . The Hankel transform can express a fairly arbitrary function as an integral of Bessel functions of different scales. For the spherical Bessel functions the orthogonality relation is: \int_0^\infty x^2 j_\alpha(ux) j_\alpha(vx) \,dx = \frac \delta(u - v) for . Another important property of Bessel's equations, which follows from Abel's identity, involves the
Wronskian In mathematics, the Wronskian of ''n'' differentiable functions is the determinant formed with the functions and their derivatives up to order . It was introduced in 1812 by the Polish mathematician Józef Wroński, and is used in the study of ...
of the solutions: A_\alpha(x) \frac - \frac B_\alpha(x) = \frac where and are any two solutions of Bessel's equation, and is a constant independent of (which depends on α and on the particular Bessel functions considered). In particular, J_\alpha(x) \frac - \frac Y_\alpha(x) = \frac and I_\alpha(x) \frac - \frac K_\alpha(x) = -\frac, for . For , the even entire function of genus 1, , has only real zeros. Let 0 be all its positive zeros, then J_(z)=\frac\prod_^\left(1-\frac\right) (There are a large number of other known integrals and identities that are not reproduced here, but which can be found in the references.)


Recurrence relations

The functions , , , and all satisfy the
recurrence relation In mathematics, a recurrence relation is an equation according to which the nth term of a sequence of numbers is equal to some combination of the previous terms. Often, only k previous terms of the sequence appear in the equation, for a parameter ...
s \frac Z_\alpha(x) = Z_(x) + Z_(x) and 2\frac = Z_(x) - Z_(x), where denotes , , , or . These two identities are often combined, e.g. added or subtracted, to yield various other relations. In this way, for example, one can compute Bessel functions of higher orders (or higher derivatives) given the values at lower orders (or lower derivatives). In particular, it follows that \begin \left( \frac \frac \right)^m \left x^\alpha Z_\alpha (x) \right&= x^ Z_ (x), \\ \left( \frac \frac \right)^m \left \frac \right&= (-1)^m \frac. \end Using the previous relations one can arrive to similar relations for the ''Spherical'' Bessel functions: \fracj_(x) = j_ + j_ and \frac = j_ - \fracj_\alpha ''Modified'' Bessel functions follow similar relations: e^ = \sum_^\infty I_n(x) t^n and e^ = I_0(z) + 2\sum_^\infty I_n(z) \cos n\theta and \frac \int_0^ e^ d\theta = I_0(z)I_0(y) + 2\sum_^\infty I_n(z)I_(y). The recurrence relation reads \begin C_(x) - C_(x) &= \frac C_\alpha(x), \\ exC_(x) + C_(x) &= 2\fracC_\alpha(x), \end where denotes or . These recurrence relations are useful for discrete diffusion problems.


Transcendence

In 1929,
Carl Ludwig Siegel Carl Ludwig Siegel (31 December 1896 – 4 April 1981) was a German mathematician specialising in analytic number theory. He is known for, amongst other things, his contributions to the Thue–Siegel–Roth theorem in Diophantine approximation, ...
proved that , , and the
logarithmic derivative In mathematics, specifically in calculus and complex analysis, the logarithmic derivative of a function is defined by the formula \frac where is the derivative of . Intuitively, this is the infinitesimal relative change in ; that is, the in ...
are
transcendental number In mathematics, a transcendental number is a real or complex number that is not algebraic: that is, not the root of a non-zero polynomial with integer (or, equivalently, rational) coefficients. The best-known transcendental numbers are and . ...
s when ''ν'' is rational and ''x'' is algebraic and nonzero. The same proof also implies that \Gamma(v+1)(2/x)^v J_(x) is transcendental under the same assumptions.


Sums with Bessel functions

The product of two Bessel functions admits the following sum: \sum_^\infty J_\nu(x) J_(y) = J_(x + y), \sum_^\infty J_\nu(x) J_(y) = J_(y - x). From these equalities it follows that \sum_^\infty J_\nu(x) J_(x) = \delta_ and as a consequence \sum_^\infty J_^2(x) = 1. These sums can be extended to include a term multiplier that is a polynomial function of the index. For example, \sum_^\infty \nu J_\nu(x) J_(x) = \frac \left( \delta_ + \delta_ \right), \sum_^\infty \nu J_^2(x) = 0, \sum_^\infty \nu^2 J_\nu(x) J_(x) = \frac \left( \delta_ - \delta_ \right) + \frac \left( \delta_ + 2 \delta_ + \delta_ \right), \sum_^\infty \nu^2 J_^2(x) = \frac.


Multiplication theorem

The Bessel functions obey a
multiplication theorem In mathematics, the multiplication theorem is a certain type of identity obeyed by many special functions related to the gamma function. For the explicit case of the gamma function, the identity is a product of values; thus the name. The various ...
\lambda^ J_\nu(\lambda z) = \sum_^\infty \frac \left(\frac\right)^n J_(z), where and may be taken as arbitrary complex numbers.Abramowitz and Stegun
p. 363, 9.1.74
For , the above expression also holds if is replaced by . The analogous identities for modified Bessel functions and are \lambda^ I_\nu(\lambda z) = \sum_^\infty \frac \left(\frac\right)^n I_(z) and \lambda^ K_\nu(\lambda z) = \sum_^\infty \frac \left(\frac\right)^n K_(z).


Zeros of the Bessel function


Bourget's hypothesis

Bessel himself originally proved that for nonnegative integers , the equation has an infinite number of solutions in . When the functions are plotted on the same graph, though, none of the zeros seem to coincide for different values of except for the zero at . This phenomenon is known as Bourget's hypothesis after the 19th-century French mathematician who studied Bessel functions. Specifically it states that for any integers and , the functions and have no common zeros other than the one at . The hypothesis was proved by
Carl Ludwig Siegel Carl Ludwig Siegel (31 December 1896 – 4 April 1981) was a German mathematician specialising in analytic number theory. He is known for, amongst other things, his contributions to the Thue–Siegel–Roth theorem in Diophantine approximation, ...
in 1929.


Transcendence

Siegel proved in 1929 that when ''ν'' is rational, all nonzero roots of and are transcendental, as are all the roots of . It is also known that all roots of the higher derivatives J_\nu^(x) for are transcendental, except for the special values J_1^(\pm\sqrt3) = 0 and J_0^(\pm\sqrt3) = 0.


Numerical approaches

For numerical studies about the zeros of the Bessel function, see , and .


Numerical values

The first zeros in J0 (i.e., j0,1, j0,2 and j0,3) occur at arguments of approximately 2.40483, 5.52008 and 8.65373, respectively.Abramowitz & Stegun, p409


History


Waves and elasticity problems

The first appearance of a Bessel function appears in the work of
Daniel Bernoulli Daniel Bernoulli ( ; ; – 27 March 1782) was a Swiss people, Swiss-France, French mathematician and physicist and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family from Basel. He is particularly remembered for his applicati ...
in 1732, while working on the analysis of a vibrating string, a problem that was tackled before by his father
Johann Bernoulli Johann Bernoulli (also known as Jean in French or John in English; – 1 January 1748) was a Swiss people, Swiss mathematician and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He is known for his contributions to infin ...
. Daniel considered a flexible chain suspended from a fixed point above and free at its lower end. The solution of the differential equation led to the introduction of a function that is now considered J_0(x). Bernoulli also developed a method to find the zeros of the function.
Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler ( ; ; ; 15 April 170718 September 1783) was a Swiss polymath who was active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, logician, geographer, and engineer. He founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made influential ...
in 1736, found a link between other functions (now known as Laguerre polynomials) and Bernoulli's solution. Euler also introduced a non-uniform chain that lead to the introduction of functions now related to modified Bessel functions I_n(x). In the middle of the eighteen century,
Jean le Rond d'Alembert Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert ( ; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the ''Encyclopé ...
had found a
formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...
to solve the
wave equation The wave equation is a second-order linear partial differential equation for the description of waves or standing wave fields such as mechanical waves (e.g. water waves, sound waves and seismic waves) or electromagnetic waves (including light ...
. By 1771 there was dispute between Bernoulli, Euler, d'Alembert and
Joseph-Louis Lagrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi Lagrangia Euler worked in 1778 on
buckling In structural engineering, buckling is the sudden change in shape (Deformation (engineering), deformation) of a structural component under Structural load, load, such as the bowing of a column under Compression (physics), compression or the wrin ...
, introducing the concept of
Euler's critical load Euler's critical load or Euler's buckling load is the compressive Structural load, load at which a slender column will suddenly bend or Buckling , buckle. It is given by the formula: P_ = \frac where *P_, Euler's critical load (longitudinal com ...
. To solve the problem he introduced the series for J_(x). Euler also worked out the solutions of vibrating 2D membranes in cylindrical coordinates in 1780. In order to solve his differential equation he introduced a power series associated to J_n(x), for integer ''n''. During the end of the 19th century Lagrange,
Pierre-Simon Laplace Pierre-Simon, Marquis de Laplace (; ; 23 March 1749 – 5 March 1827) was a French polymath, a scholar whose work has been instrumental in the fields of physics, astronomy, mathematics, engineering, statistics, and philosophy. He summariz ...
and Marc-Antoine Parseval also found equivalents to the Bessel functions. Parseval for example found an integral representation of J_0(x) using cosine. At the beginning of the 1800s,
Joseph Fourier Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier (; ; 21 March 1768 – 16 May 1830) was a French mathematician and physicist born in Auxerre, Burgundy and best known for initiating the investigation of Fourier series, which eventually developed into Fourier analys ...
used J_0(x) to solve the
heat equation In mathematics and physics (more specifically thermodynamics), the heat equation is a parabolic partial differential equation. The theory of the heat equation was first developed by Joseph Fourier in 1822 for the purpose of modeling how a quanti ...
in a problem with cylindrical symmetry. Fourier won a prize of the
French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (, ) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific method, scientific research. It was at the forefron ...
for this work in 1811. But most of the details of his work, including the use of a
Fourier series A Fourier series () is an Series expansion, expansion of a periodic function into a sum of trigonometric functions. The Fourier series is an example of a trigonometric series. By expressing a function as a sum of sines and cosines, many problems ...
, remained unpublished until 1822. Poisson in rivalry with Fourier, extended Fourier's work in 1823, introducing new properties of Bessel functions including Bessel functions of half-integer order (now known as spherical Bessel functions).


Astronomical problems

In 1770, Lagrange introduced the series expansion of Bessel functions to solve
Kepler's equation In orbital mechanics, Kepler's equation relates various geometric properties of the orbit of a body subject to a central force. It was derived by Johannes Kepler in 1609 in Chapter 60 of his ''Astronomia nova'', and in book V of his ''Epitome of ...
, a transcendental equation in astronomy.
Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (; 22 July 1784 – 17 March 1846) was a German astronomer, mathematician, physicist, and geodesist. He was the first astronomer who determined reliable values for the distance from the Sun to another star by the method ...
had seen Lagrange's solution but found it difficult to handle. In 1813 in a letter to
Carl Friedrich Gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (; ; ; 30 April 177723 February 1855) was a German mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, and physicist, who contributed to many fields in mathematics and science. He was director of the Göttingen Observatory and ...
, Bessel simplified the calculation using trigonometric functions. Bessel published his work in 1819, independently introducing the method of Fourier series unaware of the work of Fourier which was published later. In 1824, Bessel carried out a systematic investigation of the functions, which earned the functions his name. In older literature the functions were called cylindrical functions or even Bessel–Fourier functions.


See also

* Anger function *
Bessel polynomials In mathematics, the Bessel polynomials are an orthogonal polynomials, orthogonal sequence of polynomials. There are a number of different but closely related definitions. The definition favored by mathematicians is given by the series :y_n(x)=\sum ...
* Bessel–Clifford function * Bessel–Maitland function * Fourier–Bessel series * Hahn–Exton -Bessel function * Hankel transform * Incomplete Bessel functions * Jackson -Bessel function *
Kelvin functions In applied mathematics, the Kelvin functions ber''ν''(''x'') and bei''ν''(''x'') are the real part, real and imaginary parts, respectively, of :J_\nu \left (x e^ \right ),\, where ''x'' is real, and , is the ''ν''th order Bessel function of t ...
* Kontorovich–Lebedev transform * Lentz's algorithm * Lerche–Newberger sum rule *
Lommel function Lommel () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city in the Belgium, Belgian province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg. Lying in the Campine, Kempen, it has about 34,000 inhabitants and is part of the arrondissement ...
* Lommel polynomial * Neumann polynomial
Riccati-Bessel Functions
* Schlömilch's series * Sonine formula * Struve function * Vibrations of a circular membrane * Weber function (defined at Anger function) * Gauss' circle problem


Notes


References

* * Arfken, George B. and Hans J. Weber, ''Mathematical Methods for Physicists'', 6th edition (Harcourt: San Diego, 2005). . * Reproduced as pages 84 to 109 in
English translation of the text
* Bowman, Frank ''Introduction to Bessel Functions'' (Dover: New York, 1958). . * * * * . * . * B Spain, M. G. Smith,
Functions of mathematical physics
', Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, London, 1970. Chapter 9 deals with Bessel functions. * N. M. Temme, ''Special Functions. An Introduction to the Classical Functions of Mathematical Physics'', John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1996. . Chapter 9 deals with Bessel functions. * Watson, G. N., ''A Treatise on the Theory of Bessel Functions, Second Edition'', (1995) Cambridge University Press. . * .


External links

* . * . * . * Wolfram function pages on Besse
J
an
Y
functions, and modified Besse
I
an
K
functions. Pages include formulas, function evaluators, and plotting calculators. * * Bessel function
JνYνIν
an
Kν
in Libro
Function handbook
* F. W. J. Olver, L. C. Maximon
Bessel Functions
(chapter 10 of the Digital Library of Mathematical Functions). * {{Authority control Special hypergeometric functions Fourier analysis