Common extension of bilateral series for Andrews' \(q\)-Bailey and \(q\)-Gauss sums (Q971863)

For two indeterminate \(x\) and \(q\), \(|q|<1\), define \[ \begin{gathered} (x)_\infty=(x;q)_\infty=\prod_{k=0}^\infty(1-q^kx), \quad (x)_n=(x;q)_n=\frac{(x)_\infty}{(q^nx)_\infty}, \\ (x_1,\dots,x_m;q)_n=(x_1)_n\dotsb(x_m)_n, \end{gathered} \] and the bilateral basic hypergeometric series \[ {}_2\psi_3\biggl(\begin{matrix} a_1, \, a_2 \\ b_1, \, b_2, \, b_3 \end{matrix}\biggm|q;z\biggr) =\sum_{n=-\infty}^\infty \frac{(a_1,a_2;q)_n}{(b_1,b_2,b_3;q)_n}(-1)^nq^{n(n-1)/2}z^n. \] Using a version of the Abel lemma on summation by parts, the authors prove the identity \[ \begin{multlined} {}_2\psi_3\biggl(\begin{matrix} a, \, c \\ \sqrt{qac}, \, -\sqrt{qac}, \, x \end{matrix}\biggm|q;-x\biggr) =\frac{(q^2,a,qa,cx,qx/c,q^2/(cx);q^2)_\infty}{(x,qx,q/c,q^2/c,qac,qa/x;q^2)_\infty} \\ +\frac{(q/x;q)_\infty(q/(ac);q^2)_\infty}{(q/a,q/c;q)_\infty} \sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{a(-qa/c)^nq^{n^2}}{(qa/x;q^2)_{n+1}}. \end{multlined} \] Specializing \(x=q\) and \(c=q/a\), they obtain the \(q\)-Gauss and \(q\)-Bailey sums discovered previously by \textit{G.~Andrews} [Duke Math. J. 40, 525--528 (1973; Zbl 0266.33003)].