Padé approximants for some q-hypergeometric functions (Q5289119)

The authors establish a number of interesting relations for Padé approximants of basic hypergeometric series \((q\)-series), in the process recovering, as special cases, results of Andrews, Goulden and Jackson. Define the \(q\)-Pochhammer symbol \[ (a)_ j:=\prod^{j-1}_{k=0} (1- aq^ k);\;(a_ 1,a_ 2,\dots,a_ r)_ j:=\prod^ r_{k=1} (a_ k)_ j, \] and consider the basic hypergeometric series \[ f(z):=\sum^ \infty_{j=0} {(a_ 1,a_ 2, \dots, a_{r +1})_ j \over (q,b_ 1,b_ 2,\dots,b_ r)_ j } (\lambda z)^ j. \] Let \(q_ j(z)\) denote the denominator in the \([L'/M]\) Padé approximant to \(f\), and \(Q_ j(z)\) denote the denominator in the \([L/M]\) Padé approximant to \(F\), the series obtained from \(f\) by replacing each \(a_ j\) by \(a_ j q^{L'-L}\) and \(b_ j\) by \(b_ j q^{L'-L}\). The authors show that \(q_ j=Q_ j\). They also compute the \([M-1/M]\) Padé approximant to various basic hypergeometric series, and use the above observation to compute \([L/M]\) for more general \(L\). The results are of interest to Padé approximators, and \(q\)-specialists. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0764.00001].