Approximate formulae for certain prolate spheroidal wave functions valid for large values of both order and band-limit (Q861811)

The authors consider certain prolate spheroidal wave functions \(\psi_m^c(x)\) in two different regimes: when \(c/m\) is small and when \(c\) and \(m\) go to infinity with bounded \(c/m\). They obtain asymptotic aproximations of \(\psi_m^c(x)\) in terms of Legendre polynomials. The functions \(\psi_m^c(x)\) are eigenfunctions of the prolate differential operator with eigenvalues \(\chi_m^c\). The authors also obtain asymptotic approximations of \(\chi_m^c\) in terms of rational functions of \(m\) and \(c\). The regions of validity of the expansions and their accuracy are illustrated with several numerical examples.