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5.14 Evaluation of Functions by Path Integration 211<br />

example, the complex Bessel function, Airy function, Coulomb wave function, and<br />

Weber function are all special cases of the confluent hypergeometric function, with a<br />

differential equation similar to the one used above (see, e.g., [1] §13.6, for a table of<br />

special cases). The confluent hypergeometric function has no singularities at finite z:<br />

That makes it easy to integrate. However, its essential singularity at infinity means<br />

that it can have, along some paths and for some parameters, highly oscillatory or<br />

exponentially decreasing behavior: That makes it hard to integrate. Some case by<br />

case judgment (or experimentation) is therefore required.<br />

CITED REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:<br />

Abramowitz, M., and Stegun, I.A. 1964, Handbook of Mathematical Functions, Applied Mathematics<br />

Series, Volume 55 (Washington: National Bureau of Standards; reprinted 1968 by<br />

Dover Publications, New York). [1]<br />

Sample page from NUMERICAL RECIPES IN C: THE ART OF SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING (ISBN 0-521-43108-5)<br />

Copyright (C) 1988-1992 by Cambridge University Press. Programs Copyright (C) 1988-1992 by <strong>Numerical</strong> Recipes Software.<br />

Permission is granted for internet users to make one paper copy for their own personal use. Further reproduction, or any copying of machinereadable<br />

files (including this one) to any server computer, is strictly prohibited. To order <strong>Numerical</strong> Recipes books or CDROMs, visit website<br />

http://www.nr.com or call 1-800-872-7423 (North America only), or send email to directcustserv@cambridge.org (outside North America).

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