On zeros of the modified Bessel function of the second kind (Q2207559)

The zeros \(\nu_n\) of the modified Bessel function \(K_{i\nu}(x)\) at \textit{fixed} argument \(x>0\) are shown to be countably infinite and simple. By a suitable transformation of the differential equation satisfied by \(K_{i\nu}(x)\) into a one-dimensional Schrodinger equation with an exponential potential, the equation is expressed as a boundary-value problem whose eigenvalues are the zeros \(\nu_n\). By means of the standard quantisation rule the large-\(n\) behaviour of the zeros is shown to be given by \(\nu_n\sim\pi n/\log\,n\) as \(n\to\infty\).