Confluent and Double-Confluent Heun Equations: Convergence of Solutions in Series of Coulomb Wavefunctions

TL;DR

This paper investigates the convergence properties of solutions to confluent Heun equations expressed as series of Coulomb wavefunctions, introducing new solutions, convergence tests, and applications to quantum and cosmological models.

Contribution

It provides new convergence analyses for series solutions of confluent Heun equations, introduces solutions for the double-confluent case, and explores applications in physics.

Findings

Raabe test extends convergence domains beyond D'Alembert test.

New solutions for DCHE and Whittaker-Ince limits are derived.

Infinite-series solutions are shown to be bounded and convergent for all variables.

Abstract

The Leaver solutions in series of Coulomb wave functions for the confluent Heun equation (CHE) are given by two-sided infinite series, that is, by series where the summation index $n$ runs from minus to plus infinity [E. W. Leaver, J. Math. Phys. 27, 1238 (1986)]. First we show that, in contrast to the D'Alembert test, under certain conditions the Raabe test assures that the domains of convergence of these solutions include an additional singular point. Further, by using a limit proposed by Leaver, we obtain solutions for the double-confluent Heun equation (DCHE). In addition, we get solutions for the so-called Whittaker-Ince limit of the CHE and DCHE. For these four equations, new solutions are generated by transformations of variables. In the second place, for each of the above equations we obtain one-sided series solutions ($n\geq 0$) by truncating on the left the two-sided series. Finally we discuss the time dependence of the Klein-Gordon equation in two cosmological models and the spatial dependence of the Schr\"{o}dinger equation to a family of quasi-exactly solvable potentials. For a subfamily of these potentials we obtain infinite-series solutions which converge and are bounded for all values of the independent variable, in opposition to a common belief}.