Branches of the complex inverse sine Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
If is the principal complex inverse sine, all values reached by analytic continuation areThis follows from the monodromy reflections about the branch values and .
Monodromy of the complex inverse sine 2026-10-03
Let be a local value of the complex inverse sine. Since the limiting values at the two branch points are at and at , monodromy reflection at a square-root branch point givesFollowing a counterclockwise loop that encloses both branch points in the convention where is positive just above applies the two reflections in the order that givesThe reverse orientation gives . Thus the translational part of the monodromy is generated by .
Past exam of the mathematical methods I course of the University of Oxford 2013 2 Solution 2026-10-25
Let satisfy and put . The exponential definition of the complex sine givesThe quadratic formula therefore gives . Taking the complex logarithm yields the multivalued complex inverse sine formulaThe two quadratic roots have product , so neither is zero and their logarithms exist as multivalued quantities. If is one local inverse value, the complete set of values is and , with .
Branch qualification: the source's formula describes the branches of the complex inverse sine, not two interchangeable expressions for a single chosen inverse branch. At , the plus sign with the usual local choices gives , whereas the minus sign with gives . Thus both signs cannot simultaneously equal the principal inverse at zero. A principal complex inverse sine requires compatible square-root and logarithm branches, normalized to at zero and continued on the chosen cut domain.