Past exam of the algebra, analysis and differential equations II course of the University of Oxford / 2012 / 6

The tangent half-angle substitution $u=\tan (t/2)$ maps $0\le t<\pi$ to $0\le u<\infty$, withBecause $a>1$, both $a+1$ and $a-1$ are positive. ThusEvaluating the improper integral givesAlthough the change of variable has an infinite endpoint, the original integrand is continuous on the closed interval, and the transformed integrand decays as $u^{-2}$, so the limiting substitution is justified.

Use the branch of the complex logarithm with $0<\arg z<2\pi$, so the branch cut is the positive real axis, and take $\sqrt{z}=\exp (\mathrm{Log}z/2)$ on the same slit plane. Apply the residue theorem toon a positively oriented keyhole contour with inner radius $\rho <1$ and outer radius $R>1$. The upper bank travels from $\rho$ to $R$, the large circle counterclockwise, the lower bank from $R$ to $\rho$, and the small circle clockwise. One may first keep the banks at small nonzero angles and then take their limits.

On the upper bank, $\mathrm{Log}x=\log x$ and $\sqrt{x}$ is positive. On the lower bank, the corresponding limits are $\log x+2\pi i$ and $-\sqrt{x}$. Reversing the lower-bank orientation therefore makes the sum of the bank integrals tend toBoth are absolutely convergent: near zero compare with $x^{-1/2}(1+|\log x|)$, and near infinity with $x^{-5/2}(1+\log x)$. On the large circle, $|z^2+1|\ge R^2-1$, so its contribution is $O((\log R+1)R^{-3/2})$. On the small circle it is $O(\sqrt{\rho }(1+|\log \rho |))$. Both tend to zero.

The two simple poles are $i$ and $-i$. On the chosen branch their arguments are $\pi /2$ and $3\pi /2$, respectively. Consequently their residues areFor example, the first follows from $\mathrm{Log}i=i\pi /2$, $\sqrt{i}=e^{i\pi /4}$ and the derivative $2i$ of the denominator factor $z^2+1$. The second uses $\sqrt{-i}=e^{3\pi i/4}$, rather than the value from the principal square-root branch. Adding and applying the residue theorem yieldsAs $J$ is real, taking real parts givesThe imaginary part also gives $J=\pi /\sqrt{2}$, an independent consistency check on the orientation and branch factors.