arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Bruce C. Berndt.
The sum $S(h,k):=\sum_{j=1}^{k-1}(-1)^{j+1+[hj/k]}$ appears in the modular transformation formulae of the classical theta function $\vartheta_3(z)$. The double sum $S(k) := \sum_{h=1}^{k-1}S(h,k)$ has a remarkable distribution of values. Although properties for $S(k)$ and a related sum can be established, several interesting conjectures are open.
The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a survey of properties, values, identities, and generalizations of the Rogers--Ramanujan continued fraction, which is closely related to the Rogers--Ramanujan identities. Many of these results are found in Ramanujan's first two letters to Hardy, Ramanujan's notebooks, and his lost notebook. Short historical accounts are provided for both the notebooks and lost notebook.
Ramanujan, in his famous first letter to Hardy, claimed a very precise estimate for the number of integers that can be written as a sum of two squares. Far less well-known is that he also made further claims of a similar nature for the non-divisibility of the Ramanujan tau-function for certain primes. In this survey, we provide more historical details and also discuss related later developments. These show that, as so often, Ramanujan was an explorer in a fascinating wilderness, leaving behind him a beckoning trail.
We derive a general formula for the product of two Dirichlet series that satisfy Hecke's functional equation. Several examples are provided to demonstrate the applicability of the formula. In addition, we discuss prior work on similar products and clarify certain issues arising in the existing literature.
On page 206 in his lost notebook, Ramanujan recorded an incomplete septic theta function identity. Motivated by the completion of this identity by the second author, we offer cubic and quintic analogues. Using the theory generated by these two analogues and Ramanujan's class invariants, we provide many evaluations for Ramanujan's most prominent theta function, $φ(q)$ in his notation.
Several methods are used to evaluate finite trigonometric sums. In each case, either the sum had not previously been evaluated, or it had been evaluated, but only by analytic means, e.g., by complex analysis or modular transformation formulas. We establish both reciprocity and three sum relations for trigonometric sums. Motivated by certain sums that we have evaluated, we add coprime conditions to the summands and thereby define analogues of Ramanujan sums, which we in turn evaluate. One of these analogues leads to a criterion for the Riemann Hypothesis, analogous to the Franel-Landau criterion.
We provide a proof of a conjecture made by Richard McIntosh in 1996 on the values of the Franel integrals, $$\int_0^1((ax))((bx))((cx))((ex))\,dx,$$ where $((x))$ is the first periodic Bernoulli function. Secondly, we extend our ideas to prove a similar theorem for $$\int_0^1((a_1x))((a_2x))\cdots ((a_{n}x))\,dx.$$ Lastly, we prove a further generalization in which $((x))$ is replaced by any particular Bernoulli function with odd index.
The modified Bessel functions $K_ν(z)$, or, for brevity, K-Bessel functions, arise at key places in analytic number theory. In particular, they appear in beautiful arithmetic identities. A survey of these arithmetical identities and their appearances in number theory is provided.
This paper provides a survey of particular values of Ramanujan's theta function $φ(q)=\sum_{n=-\infty}^{\infty}q^{n^2}$, when $q=e^{-π\sqrt{n}}$, where $n$ is a positive rational number. First, descriptions of the tools used to evaluate theta functions are given. Second, classical values are briefly discussed. Third, certain values due to Ramanujan and later authors are given. Fourth, the methods that are used to determine these values are described. Lastly, an incomplete evaluation found in Ramanujan's lost notebook, but now completed and proved, is discussed with a sketch of its proof.
Two classes of finite trigonometric sums, each involving only $\sin$'s, are evaluated in closed form. The previous and original proofs arise from Ramanujan's theta functions and modular equations.
We evaluate in closed form several classes of finite trigonometric sums. Two general methods are used. The first is new and involves sums of roots of unity. The second uses contour integration and extends a previous method used by two of the authors. Reciprocity theorems for certain trigonometric sums are also established.
We consider two sequences $a(n)$ and $b(n)$, $1\leq n<\infty$, generated by Dirichlet series $$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{a(n)}{λ_n^{s}}\qquad\text{and}\qquad \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{b(n)}{μ_n^{s}},$$ satisfying a familiar functional equation involving the gamma function $Γ(s)$. Two general identities are established. The first involves the modified Bessel function $K_μ(z)$, and can be thought of as a 'modular' or 'theta' relation wherein modified Bessel functions, instead of exponential functions, appear. Appearing in the second identity are $K_μ(z)$, the Bessel functions of imaginary argument $I_μ(z)$, and ordinary hypergeometric functions ${_2F_1}(a,b;c;z)$. Although certain special cases appear in the literature, the general identities are new. The arithmetical functions appearing in the identities include Ramanujan's arithmetical function $τ(n)$; the number of representations of $n$ as a sum of $k$ squares $r_k(n)$; and primitive Dirichlet characters $χ(n)$.
The neglected Russian mathematician, N.~S.~Koshliakov, derived beautiful generalizations of the classical Abel--Plana summation formula through a setting arising from a boundary value problem in heat conduction. When we let the parameter $p$ in this setting tend to infinity, his formulas reduce to the classical Abel--Plana summation formula. Rigorous formulations and proofs of these summation formulas are given. In his notebooks, Ramanujan derived different analogues of the Abel--Plana summation formula. One particular example provides a vast new generalization of the classical transformation formula for Eisenstein series, which we generalize in Koshliakov's setting.
We consider two sequences $a(n)$ and $b(n)$, $1\leq n<\infty$, generated by Dirichlet series of the forms $$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{a(n)}{λ_n^{s}}\qquad\text{and}\qquad \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{b(n)}{μ_n^{s}},$$ satisfying a familiar functional equation involving the gamma function $Γ(s)$. A general identity is established. Appearing on one side is an infinite series involving $a(n)$ and modified Bessel functions $K_ν$, wherein on the other side is an infinite series involving $b(n)$ that is an analogue of the Hurwitz zeta function. Seven special cases, including $a(n)=τ(n)$ and $a(n)=r_k(n)$, are examined, where $τ(n)$ is Ramanujan's arithmetical function and $r_k(n)$ denotes the number of representations of $n$ as a sum of $k$ squares. Most of the six special cases appear to be new.
In a one-page fragment published with his lost notebook, Ramanujan stated two double series identities associated, respectively, with the famous Gauss Circle and Dirichlet Divisor problems. The identities contain an "extra" parameter, and it is possible that Ramanujan derived these identities with the intent of attacking these famous problems. Similar famous unsolved problems are connected with $f_K(n)$, the number of integral ideals of norm $n$ in an algebraic number field $K$. In this paper we establish Riesz sum identities containing an "extra" parameter and involving $f_K(n)$, or divisor functions associated with $K$. Upper bounds for the sums as the upper index tends to infinity are also established.
Throughout his entire mathematical life, Ramanujan loved to evaluate definite integrals. One can find them in his problems submitted to the \emph{Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society}, notebooks, Quarterly Reports to the University of Madras, letters to Hardy, published papers and the Lost Notebook. His evaluations are often surprising, beautiful, elegant, and useful in other mathematical contexts. He also discovered general methods for evaluating and approximating integrals. A survey of Ramanujan's contributions to the evaluation of integrals is given, with examples provided from each of the above-mentioned sources.
Motivated by two identities published with Ramanujan's lost notebook and connected, respectively, with the Gauss circle problem and the Dirichlet divisor problem, in an earlier paper, three of the present authors derived representations for certain sums of products of trigonometric functions as double series of Bessel functions. These series are generalized in the present paper by introducing the novel notion of balanced derivatives, leading to further theorems. As we will see below, the regions of convergence in the unbalanced case are entirely different than those in the balanced case. From this viewpoint, it is remarkable that Ramanujan had the intuition to formulate entries that are, in our new terminology, "balanced". If $x$ denotes the number of products of the trigonometric functions appearing in our sums, in addition to proving the identities mentioned above, theorems and conjectures for upper and lower bounds for the sums as $x\to\infty$ are established.
George Andrews and Ae Ja Yee recently established beautiful results involving bivariate generalizations of the third order mock theta functions $ω(q)$ and $ν(q)$, thereby extending their earlier results with the second author. Generalizing the Andrews-Yee identities for trivariate generalizations of these mock theta functions remained a mystery, as pointed out by Li and Yang in their recent work. We partially solve this problem and generalize these identities. Several new as well as well-known results are derived. For example, one of our two main theorems gives, as a corollary, a special case of Soon-Yi Kang's three-variable reciprocity theorem. A relation between a new restricted overpartition function $p^{*}(n)$ and a weighted partition function $p_*(n)$ is obtained from one of the special cases of our second theorem.