The multisection method for triple products and identities of Rogers-Ramanujan type (Q2465838)

The authors begin by noting the equations \[ (-q^{a+c},-q^{a-c};q^{2a})_{\infty} + (q^{a+c},q^{a-c};q^{2a})_{\infty} = \frac{2(q^{8a},-q^{4a+2c},-q^{4a-2c};q^{8a})_{\infty}}{(q^{2a};q^{2a})_{\infty}} \] and \[ (-q^{a+c},-q^{a-c};q^{2a})_{\infty} - (q^{a+c},q^{a-c};q^{2a})_{\infty} = \frac{2q^{a-c}(q^{8a},-q^{2c},-q^{8a-2c};q^{8a})_{\infty}}{(q^{2a};q^{2a})_{\infty}}, \] valid for \(a + c\) odd and \(a > 0\). Here we have employed the usual basic hypergeometric notation. These equations follow after summing over the even \(n\) and then over the odd \(n\) of the theta functions \[ \sum_{n \in \mathbb{Z}} q^{an^2+cn} \quad\text{ and }\quad \sum_{n \in \mathbb{Z}} (-1)^nq^{an^2+cn}. \] The authors call this \textit{bisection}. They then use these equations to deduce numerous sum-to-product identities from known identities of this type. For a representative example, the case \((a,c) = (2,1)\) of the first equation above gives \[ (q;q^2)_{\infty} + (-q;q^2)_{\infty} = \frac{2(q^{16},-q^6,-q^{10};q^{16})_{\infty}}{(q^4;q^4)_{\infty}}. \] From the \(q\)-Gauss summation it is known that \[ \sum_{m \geq 0} \frac{(-1;q^2)_mq^{m^2}}{(q)_{2m}} = \frac{(-q;q^2)_{\infty}}{(q;q^2)_{\infty}}. \] Adding \(1\) to both sides we obtain \[ 1+ \sum_{m \geq 1} \frac{(-q^2;q^2)_{m-1}q^{m^2}}{(q)_{2m}} = \frac{(-q;q^2)_{\infty}(q^{16},-q^6,-q^{10};q^{16})_{\infty}}{(q^2;q^2)_{\infty}}. \] The authors also consider the implications of the \textit{trisection} of the first theta function above. In total they record \(20\) sum-to-product identities, most of which originally appeared in works of Jackson, Rogers, Bailey and Slater.