The determinant of a hypergeometric period matrix and a generalization of Selberg's integral (Q2465835): Difference between revisions

The authors derives a closed-form evaluation of the determinant \[ E_{n,k}({\pmb\lambda;\pmb\alpha}) =\det_{1\leq i,j\leq n}\biggl(\int_{\lambda_{i-1}}^{\lambda_i} \prod_{p=0}^n(x-\lambda_p)^{\alpha_p-1}x^{k+j-1}\,dx\biggr), \] where the parameters \({\pmb\lambda}=(\lambda_0,\lambda_1,\dots,\lambda_n)\in\mathbb R^{n+1}\) and \({\pmb\alpha}=(\alpha_0,\alpha_1,\dots,\alpha_n)\in\mathbb C^{n+1}\) satisfy \(\Re\alpha_j>0\) for \(j=0,1,\dots,n\). The formula was conjectured in the earlier authors' work [\textit{D. Richards} and \textit{Q. Zheng}, Adv. Appl. Math. 28, No. 3--4, 602--633 (2002; Zbl 1011.33014)] and proved there for particular cases \(k=1,2,3,4,5\); the case \(k=0\) is Varchenko's formula in [\textit{A. Varchenko}, Math. USSR Izv. 35, No. 3, 543--571 (1990); translation from Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Mat. 53, No. 6, 1206--1235 (1989; Zbl 0695.33004)]. One of the consequences of the main result is a certain generalization of the famous Selberg integral [\textit{A. Selberg}, Norsk Mat. Tidsskr. 26, 71--79 (1944; Zbl 0063.06870)].