Aequationes Math.

72 (2006) 172–176 c Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 2006

°
0001-9054/06/010172-5
DOI 10.1007/s00010-006-2830-1 Aequationes Mathematicae

Abel’s lemma on summation by parts and Ramanujan’s

1 ψ1 -series identity

Wenchang Chu

Summary. By means of Abel’s lemma on summation by parts, a new and elementary proof
of Ramanujan’s bilateral 1 ψ1 -series identity is presented, which is closely related to the Jacobi
triple product identity.

Mathematics Subject Classification (2000). Primary 33D15; Secondary 05A30.

Keywords. Abel’s lemma on summation by parts, basic hypergeometric series, Ramanujan’s

1 ψ1 -series identity.

1. Introduction

For an arbitrary complex sequence {τk }, define the backward and forward differ-
ence operators ∇ and △· , respectively, by

∇τk = τk − τk−1 and △

· τk = τk − τk+1

where △· is adopted for convenience in the present paper, which differs from the
usual operator ∆ only in the minus sign.
Then Abel’s lemma on summation by parts may be reformulated as
+∞
X +∞
X
Ak ∇Bk = Bk △
· Ak (1)
k=−∞ k=−∞

provided that the series on both sides are convergent and Ak Bk−1 → 0 as k → ±∞.

Proof. According to the definition of the backward difference, we have

+∞
X +∞
X +∞
X +∞
X
© ª
Ak ∇Bk = Ak Bk − Bk−1 = Ak Bk − Ak Bk−1 .
k=−∞ k=−∞ k=−∞ k=−∞

This work has been carried out during my visit to Dalian University of Technology (2005).
Vol. 72 (2006) Abel’s lemma on summation by parts 173

Replacing k by 1 + k in the last sum, we get the expression

+∞
X +∞
X +∞
X
© ª
Ak ∇Bk = Bk Ak − Ak+1 = Bk △
· Ak
k=−∞ k=−∞ k=−∞

which is the formula stated in the Abel lemma. ¤

Let q be complex parameter with |q| < 1. The shifted factorial is defined by
∞
Y
(x; q)∞ = (1 − xq k ),
k=0
(x; q)∞
(x; q)n = .
(q n x; q)∞
When n is an integer, it reads explicitly as
Qn−1
k
k=0 (1 − xq ), n = 1, 2, . . . ;




(x; q)n = 1, n = 0;
n
n n (2)

 Q(−1) x q

, n = −1, −2, . . . .

−n
(1−q k /x)
k=1

Then Ramanujan’s celebrated bilateral basic hypergeometric series identity (cf. [14,
(II.29)] for example) may be stated as
·¯ ¸ +∞
a¯ X (a; q)k k (q; q)∞ (az; q)∞ (q/az; q)∞ (c/a; q)∞
1 ψ1 ¯ q; z = z = (2)
c (c; q)k (c; q)∞ (z; q)∞ (c/az; q)∞ (q/a; q)∞
k=−∞

provided that |c/a| < |z| < 1, to have convergence.

Specializing with c → 0 and z → z/a and then letting a → ∞, we derive from
this formula the famous Jacobi triple product identity (cf. [14, (II.28))]:
+∞
k
(−1)k q (2) z k
X
[q, z, q/z; q]∞ = for |q| < 1. (3)
k=−∞

This is a well-known fact. However, it has not been clear up to now whether
Ramanujan’s 1 ψ1 -series identity can also be derived from Jacobi’s triple product
identity. The objective of the present work is to answer this question affirma-
tively. By means of Abel’s method on summation by parts, we will reduce (2)
to Jacobi’s triple product identity (3) and hence present a new and elementary
proof of Ramanujan’s 1 ψ1 -series identity. For further application of Abel’s lemma
on summation by parts to Bailey’s very well-poised bilateral basic hypergeomet-
ric 6 ψ6 -series identity (cf. [14, (II.33)]), we refer the reader to the forthcoming
paper [10].
Firstly, it is trivial to compute the finite differences
(a; q)k 1 − c/a (a/q; q)k k
· z k = (1 − z) z k
△ and ∇ = q .
(c; q)k 1 − q/a (c; q)k
174 W. Chu AEM

We can then manipulate the 1 ψ1 -series by means of Abel’s lemma on summation

by parts as follows:
+∞ +∞
· zk zk
·¯ ¸
a¯ X (a; q)k △ X (a; q)k
ψ
1 1 q; z = = ∇
c (c; q)k 1 − z 1 − z (c; q)k
¯
k=−∞ k=−∞
+∞
1 − c/a X(a/q; q)k
= (qz)k
(1 − z)(1 − q/a) (c; q)k
k=−∞
· ¯ ¸
1 − c/a a/q ¯
= ψ
1 1 q; qz .
(1 − z)(1 − q/a) c
¯

Iterating this process n-times, we find the recurrence relation

·¯ ¸ · n¯ ¸
a¯ (c/a; q)n a/q ¯ n
ψ
1 1 q; z = × ψ
1 1 q; q z . (4)
c (z; q)n (q/a; q)n c
¯ ¯

Alternatively, the finite differences

(a; q)k ck 1 − c/a (a; q)k ck
∇(az/c)k = {1 − c/az}(az/c)k and △
· k
=
(c; q)k a 1 − c (qc; q)k ak
can be applied similarly to deal with 1 ψ1 -series through Abel’s lemma on summa-
tion by parts as follows:
+∞
(a; q)k ck ∇(az/c)k
·¯ ¸
a¯ X
1 ψ1 ¯ q; z =
c (c; q)k ak 1 − c/az
k=−∞
+∞
X (az/c)k (a; q)k ck
= △
·
1 − c/az (c; q)k ak
k=−∞
+∞
1 − c/a X (a; q)k k
= z
(1 − c)(1 − c/az) (qc; q)k
k=−∞
· ¯ ¸
1 − c/a a¯
= 1 ψ1 ¯ q; z .
(1 − c)(1 − c/az) qc
Iterating this process m-times, we derive another recurrence relation
·¯ ¸ · ¯ ¸
a¯ (c/a; q)m a ¯
ψ
1 1 q; z = × ψ
1 1 m ¯ q; z . (5)
c (c; q)m (c/az; q)m q c
¯

Andrews and Askey [3] (see also [14, §5.2]) have established this recurrence relation
in a different manner. But the derivation presented here is more direct and simple.
Finally, combining (4) with (5), we derive the third recurrence relation
·¯ ¸ · n¯ ¸
a¯ (c/a; q)m+n a/q ¯ n
1 ψ1 ¯ q; z = × 1 ψ1 ¯ q; q z . (6)
c (c; q)m (c/az; q)m (z; q)n (q/a; q)n cq m
We remark that the three transformations (4), (5) and (6) maintain convergence,
i.e., all the bilateral series displayed on the right hand sides of (4), (5) and (6) are
convergent within |c/a| < |z| < 1.
Vol. 72 (2006) Abel’s lemma on summation by parts 175

When m, n → ∞, it is not hard to check, by appealing to Tannery’s theorem

on infinite series and Jacobi’s triple product identity (3), the limiting relation
· n¯ ¸ +∞
a/q ¯ k
(−1)k q (2) (az)k = [q, az, q/az; q]∞ .
X
n
1 ψ1 q; q z =⇒
cq m
¯
k=−∞

Replacing the 1 ψ1 -series on the right hand side of (6) by this triple product, we
get immediately Ramanujan’s 1 ψ1 -series identity (2).
Johnson (see [18]) has recently given an excellent account of the history of this
identity. For different proofs of this important formula, the reader can consult the
references listed at the end of this paper.
Our proof relies on Jacobi’s triple product identity, which has at least a dozen
proofs up to now. The simplest one is due to Cauchy (1843) and Gauß (1866). To
make the paper self-contained, we reproduce this proof as follows.
Recall the q-binomial theorem (cf. [14, (II.4)] for example)
m hmi k
q (2) xk
X
(x; q)m = (−1)k (7)
k
k=0

which can be easily verified by induction.

Now replacing m by m + n and x by xq −m respectively, and then noting the
relation
(q −m x; q)m+n = (q −m x; q)m (x; q)n = (−1)m q −( 2 ) xm (q/x; q)m (x; q)n ,
1+m
(8)
we can reformulate the q-binomial theorem as
m+n hm + ni k−m
q ( 2 ) xk−m
X
(x; q)n (q/x; q)m = (−1)k−m
k
k=0

which becomes, under summation index substitution k → m + k, the finite form

of the Jacobi triple product identity
n hm + ni k
q (2) xk .
X
(x; q)n (q/x; q)m = (−1)k (9)
m+k
k=−m

Letting m, n → ∞ in (9) and recalling the limiting relation

h
m+n
i (q; q)m+n m,n→∞ 1
= −−−−−→ , where |q < 1|,
m+k (q; q)m+k (q; q)n−k (q; q)∞
we recover the famous Jacobi triple product identity (3).

References
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(1969), 552–553.
176 W. Chu AEM

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Wenchang Chu and

College of Advanced Science Dipartimento di Matematica
and Technology Università degli Studi di Lecce
Dalian University of Technology Lecce-Arnesano P.O. Box 193
Dalian 116024 I–73100 Lecce
P. R. China Italia
e-mail: chu.wenchang@unile.it

Manuscript received: May 23, 2005 and, in final form, December 5, 2005.