Gauss Hypergeometric Representations of the Ferrers Function of the Second Kind

We derive all eighteen Gauss hypergeometric representations for the Ferrers function of the second kind, each with a different argument. They are obtained from the eighteen hypergeometric representations of the associated Legendre function of the second kind by using a limit representation. For the 18 hypergeometric arguments which correspond to these representations, we give geometrical descriptions of the corresponding convergence regions in the complex plane. In addition, we consider a corresponding single sum Fourier expansion for the Ferrers function of the second kind. In four of the eighteen cases, the determination of the Ferrers function of the second kind requires the evaluation of the hypergeometric function separately above and below the branch cut at [1,infty). In order to complete these derivations, we use well-known results to derive expressions for the hypergeometric function above and below its branch cut. Finally we give a detailed review of the 1888 paper by Richard Olbricht who was the first to study hypergeometric representations of Legendre functions.

Multi-Integral Representations for Associated Legendre and Ferrers Functions

For the associated Legendre and Ferrers functions of the first and second kind, we obtain new multi-derivative and multi-integral representation formulas. The multi-integral representation formulas that we derive for these functions generalize some classical multi-integration formulas. As a result of the determination of these formulae, we compute some interesting special values and integral representations for certain particular combinations of the degree and order, including the case where there is symmetry and antisymmetry for the degree and order parameters. As a consequence of our analysis, we obtain some new results for the associated Legendre function of the second kind, including parameter values for which this function is identically zero.

Fast computation of sine/cosine series coefficients of associated Legendre function of arbitrary high degree and order

In order to accelerate the spherical/spheroidal harmonic synthesis of any function, we developed a new recursive method to compute the sine/cosine series coefficient of the 4π fully- and Schmidt quasi-normalized associated Legendre functions. The key of the method is a set of increasing-degree/order mixed-wavenumber two to four-term recurrence formulas to compute the diagonal terms. They are used in preparing the seed values of the decreasing-order fixed-degree, and fixed-wavenumber two- and three-term recurrence formulas, which are obtained by modifying the classic relations. The new method is accurate and capable to deal with an arbitrary high degree/ order/wavenumber. Also, it runs significantly faster than the previous method of ours utilizing the Wigner d function, say around 20 times more when the maximum degree exceeds 1,000.