Explicit evaluations of Ramanujan-Göllnitz-Gordon continued fraction (Q938322): Difference between revisions

The continued fraction in the title is \[ K(q)= {q^{1/2}\over 1+ q+}\, {q^2\over 1+ q^3+}\, {q^4\over 1+ q^5+}\cdots \] with \(|q|< 1\). Ramanujan discovered an identity with an infinite product, \[ K(q)= q^{1/2} {(q; q^8)_\infty(q^7; q^8)_\infty\over (q^3; q^8)_\infty(q^5; q^8)_\infty}, \] where \((a; q)_\infty= \prod^\infty_{n=0} (1- aq^n)\). Therefore, by putting \(q= e^{2\pi iz}\), the function \(K(q)\) is intimately related to modular forms, in particular to Jacobi's theta functions and to Dedekind's eta function \(\eta(z)= q^{1/24}(q; q)_\infty\), and there are many relations of the type of modular equations, connecting \(K(q)\), \(K(q')\) and products of Jacobi and Dedekind functions. Some recent ones are due to \textit{H. H. Chan} and \textit{S.-S. Huang} [Ramanujan J. 1, No. 1, 75--90 (1997; Zbl 0905.11008)] and to \textit{K. R. Vasuki} and \textit{B. R. Srivatsa Kumar} [J. Comput. Appl. Math. 187, No. 1, 87--95 (2006; Zbl 1081.11004)]. In the paper under review the authors add more identities of this type. They are used to find explicit algebraic values for \(K(q)\) and some other modular functions at special points \(q= e^{-\pi\sqrt{n/k}}\) with positive integers \(n\), \(k\). This extends work by the authors cited above and by \textit{J. Yi} [Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Ill. (2001), and J. Math. Anal. Appl. 292, No. 2, 381--400 (2004; Zbl 1060.11027)]. We reproduce two examples: \[ K\left(e^{2\pi}\right)= \sqrt{{2^{3/4}+ 2^{1/4}-1\over 2^{3/4}+ 3\cdot 2^{1/4}+ 1}},\qquad K\left(e^{-3\pi/\sqrt{2}}\right)= \sqrt{{2^{1/4}(\sqrt{3}- \sqrt{2})(2- \sqrt{3})- 1\over 2^{1/4} (\sqrt{3}+ \sqrt{2})(2+ \sqrt{3})+ 1}}. \]