English

Asymptotics and exact formulas for Zagier polynomials

Number Theory 2016-07-14 v2

Abstract

In 1998 Don Zagier introduced the modified Bernoulli numbers BnB_{n}^{*} and showed that they satisfy amusing variants of some properties of Bernoulli numbers. In particular, he studied the asymptotic behavior of B2nB_{2n}^{*}, and also obtained an exact formula for them, the motivation for which came from the representation of B2nB_{2n} in terms of the Riemann zeta function ζ(2n)\zeta(2n). The modified Bernoulli numbers were recently generalized to Zagier polynomials Bn(x)B_{n}^{*}(x). For 0<x<10<x<1, an exact formula for B2n(x)B_{2n}^{*}(x) involving infinite series of Bessel function of the second kind and Chebyshev polynomials, that yields Zagier's formula in a limiting case, is established here. Such series arise in diffraction theory. An analogous formula for B2n+1(x)B_{2n+1}^{*}(x) is also presented. The 66-periodicity of B2n+1B_{2n+1}^{*} is deduced as a limiting case of it. These formulas are reminiscent of the Fourier expansions of Bernoulli polynomials. Some new results, for example, the one yielding the derivative of the Bessel function of the first kind with respect to its order as the Fourier coefficient of a function involving Chebyshev polynomials, are obtained in the course of proving these exact formulas. The asymptotic behavior of Zagier polynomials is also derived from them. Finally, a Zagier-type exact formula is obtained for B2n(32)+B2nB_{2n}^{*}\left(-\frac{3}{2}\right)+B_{2n}^{*}.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1506.07612,
  title  = {Asymptotics and exact formulas for Zagier polynomials},
  author = {Atul Dixit and M. Lawrence Glasser and Victor H. Moll and Christophe Vignat},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1506.07612},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

27 pages, to appear in 'Research in Number Theory'; previous title 'The Zagier Polynomials. Part III. Asymptotics and Exact Formulas' changed to the current one

R2 v1 2026-06-22T09:59:53.661Z