Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2014 / iii / Paper 74 / 1 / b

Apply the stationary phase method to the real part of the exponential integral for the Bessel function of the first kind. With $n$ fixed, use oscillatory phase $\sin \vartheta$ and oscillatory integral amplitude $e^{-in\vartheta }$. The unique stationary point is ${\vartheta }_0=\pi /2$, with second derivative $-1$. Its contribution isThe leading endpoint terms of the exponential integral are imaginary and do not contribute to its real part. Hence the large-argument asymptotic expansion of the Bessel function of the first kind isThis is an additive asymptotic formula: a relative ratio is inappropriate at zeros of the leading cosine. The envelope decreases like $x^{-1/2}$ while the oscillation frequency approaches one.

Initially suppose $0<\alpha <\pi /2$, the usual oscillatory range. The oscillatory phase is $n\Phi (\vartheta )$ with $\Phi =\sec \alpha \sin \vartheta -\vartheta$. Its stationary point is $\vartheta =\alpha$, since $\sec \alpha \cos \vartheta =1$. At that pointThe stationary phase method therefore gives the Debye Bessel asymptoticThe error is additive for fixed positive $\alpha$ bounded away from $\pi /2$; this formula is not uniform as $\alpha \to 0$, when the stationary point joins the endpoint and its curvature vanishes.

The printed condition $\alpha >0$ alone includes other trigonometric branches. All defined fixed real cases can be covered as follows. If $0<|\cos \alpha |<1$, put $\beta =\arccos |\cos \alpha |\in (0,\pi /2)$. Use the displayed formula with $\beta$ instead of $\alpha$, and multiply it by $1$ if $\sec \alpha >0$, or by $(-1{)}^n$ if $\sec \alpha <0$. This follows from the integer-order parity $J_n(-x)=(-1{)}^n{J}_n(x)$, which is also obtained from the defining integral by $\vartheta \mapsto \pi -\vartheta$. If $|\cos \alpha |=1$, the argument is $\pm n$ and the turning-point answer below applies, with the same parity factor. If $\cos \alpha =0$, the stated argument is undefined.

The Bessel turning-point asymptotic comes from a cubic stationary endpoint, not an ordinary quadratic stationary point. Near $\vartheta =0$,Thus the contributing width is $\vartheta =O(n^{-1/3})$. On writing $\vartheta =(6/n{)}^{1/3}s$, the leading integral isThe oscillatory integral is understood with a vanishing damping factor. Substitution $u=s^3$ and the Gamma function Fourier integral giveThereforeThe equality uses the Gamma reflection formula. Contributions away from the degenerate endpoint are smaller. The $n^{-1/3}$ scale explains why the preceding $n^{-1/2}$ formula cannot be extended directly to zero angle.