Exponentially-improved asymptotics for the gamma function (Q1195413)

The well-known asymptotic expansion for the gamma function \[ \Gamma(z)\sim\sqrt{2\pi}z^{z-1/2}e^{-z}\left\{1+{1\over 12z}+{1\over 288z^ 2}+\dots\right\} \] valid for \(| z|\to\infty\) in \(|\arg z|\leq{1\over 2}\pi-\varepsilon\) is analyzed in detail. It is shown that a Stokes multiplier \(S(\theta)\) (with \(\theta=\arg z\)) enables one to extend the asymptotic expansion \[ \Gamma(z)\sim\sqrt{2\pi}z^{z-1/2}e^{-z}\left\{1+{1\over 12z}+{1\over 288z^ 2}+\dots+S(\theta)e^{\pm2\pi iz}\right\} \] to \(|\arg z|\leq\pi-\varepsilon\). First the authors show that the Stokes multiplier can be taken as a discontinuous function with a jump at \(\theta=\pm\pi/2\), but then in an exponentially improved asymptotic development they show that \(S(\theta)\) is a smooth function behaving like the error function \({1\over 2}+{1\over 2}\text{erf}[\sqrt{\pi| z|}(\theta-\pi/2)]\) when \(\theta\simeq\pi/2\).