On Laporta's 4-loop sunrise formulae (Q2283797)

The author proves Laporta's conjecture \[ \begin{aligned} \int_0^\infty \frac{dx_1}{x_1}\int_0^\infty \frac{dx_2}{x_2}\int_0^\infty \frac{dx_3}{x_3}\int_0^\infty \frac{dx_4}{x_4}\times \frac{1}{(1+\sum_1^4 x_k)(1+\sum_1^4 \frac{1}{ x_k})-1}\\ =\frac43 \int_0^\pi d\phi_1 \int_0^\pi d\phi_2 \int_0^\pi d\phi_3 \int_0^\pi d\phi_4 \times \frac{1}{4-\sum_{k=1}^4\cos \phi_k}, \end{aligned} \] (where we denote the left-hand side of this identity by \(L\)) relating the 4-loop sunrise diagram in 2-dimensional quantum field theory to Watson's integral for the 4-dimensional hypercubic lattice, and also several related integral identities proposed by Laporta, including a reduction of the 4-loop sunrise diagram to special values of Euler's gamma function and generalized hypergeometric series: \[ \frac{4\pi^{5/2}}{\sqrt{3}}\left\{\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2^6}\left[\frac{\Gamma(\frac13)}{\sqrt{\pi}}\right]^9 {}_4F_3\left(\begin{array}{cccc}\frac16,&\frac13,&\frac13,&\frac12\\ \frac23,&\frac56,&\frac56\end{array}|1\right) -\frac{2^4}{3}\left[\frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{\Gamma(\frac13)}\right]^9{}_4F_3\left(\begin{array}{cccc}\frac12,&\frac23,&\frac23,&\frac56\\ \frac76,&\frac76,&\frac43\end{array}|1\right)\right\}. \] In the configuration space, the 4-loop sunrise Feynman diagram is represented by a single integral over the variable \(t\): \[L=2^4\int_0^\infty I_0(t)[K_0(y)]^5t\ dt\] where \(I_0(t,),K_0(t)\) are modified Bessel functions, and this is the starting point for the author's evaluations. He also evaluates some analogs of the sunrise diagram of the form \[ IKM(a, b; n) :=\int_0^\infty [ I_0(t)]^a[K_0(y)]^bt\ dt \] satisfying \(a+b=6\) and \(a,b\in Z>0\), and related integrals. Many of the results presented here, including Laporta's conjectures, had earlier been derived empirically, but the author gives rigorous proofs. The proofs are very technical. A major tool is the Meijer G-function, defined by a contour integral of Mellin-Barnes type, which allows expansion by residues in generalized hypergeometric series.