7
$\begingroup$

After reading some meta posts, I've decided to post this question on MathOverflow since I didn't receive any comments or answers on MSE

Certainly, I apologize for any oversight. Here's a more refined version:

Integral to Evaluate:

$$\int_0^1 \dfrac{\operatorname{Li}_2\left(\frac{x}{4}\right)}{4-x}\,\log\left(\dfrac{1+\sqrt{1-x}}{1-\sqrt{1-x}}\right)\,dx=\dfrac{\pi^4}{1944}.$$

Approach:

Utilize the substitution $t=x/4$, integration by parts, and the identity $\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}H_{n}^{(2)}x^{n}=\frac{Li_{2}(x)}{1-x}$. Consider breaking it up using:

$$H_{n+1}^{(2)}-\frac{1}{(n+1)^{2}}=H_{n}^{(2)},$$

and/or

$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{x^{2n}}{(n+1)(2n+1)\binom{2n}{n}}=\frac{4(\sin^{-1}(\frac{x}{2}))^{2}}{x^{2}}.$$

This is related to the identity:

$$\left( \sin^{-1}(z)\right)^4=\frac{3}{2}\sum_{k=1}^\infty\frac{H_{k-1}^{(2)}(2z)^{2k}}{k^2 \binom{2k}{k}} \quad |z|<1.$$

$\endgroup$
7
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Why downvotes? Can someone explain $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 24, 2024 at 13:42
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ You can improve your post by adding a high-level tag and delete personal comments (life stories) like "I am going to have a look", "It's been a while", "Unless, someone wants to jump in", "I get it now". This is not a chat site. Ask a question concisely, and provide some context. Regarding high-level tags: meta.mathoverflow.net/questions/1075/… $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 24, 2024 at 13:50
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @GHfromMO sorry sir, I'm a new user on MathOverflow, and I edited the question, but I'm not sure if it was a good edit. $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 24, 2024 at 13:58
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Why do you think your integral equals $\pi^4/1944$? $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 24, 2024 at 15:04
  • 6
    $\begingroup$ As the OP clearly noticed, his formula is equivalent to the identity $$\sum_{n\ge1}H_n^{(2)}/((n+1)(2n+1)\binom{2n}{n})=\pi^4/972$$ which is probably known and easier to prove. $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 24, 2024 at 17:00

1 Answer 1

13
$\begingroup$

As Henri Cohen remarked, the identity to prove is equivalent to $$\sum_{n=1}^\infty \frac{H_n^{(2)}}{(n+1)(2n+1)\binom{2n}{n}}=\frac{\pi^4}{972}.\tag{1}$$ In turn, this follows readily from the OP's last display (which is a known identity, see e.g. here): $$\left( \sin^{-1}(z)\right)^4=\frac{3}{2}\sum_{k=2}^\infty\frac{H_{k-1}^{(2)}(2z)^{2k}}{k^2 \binom{2k}{k}}, \qquad |z|<1.\tag{2}$$ Let us see how $(2)$ implies $(1)$. We write $k=n+1$ in $(2)$, and observe that $$(n+1)^2\binom{2n+2}{n+1}=2(n+1)(2n+1)\binom{2n}{n}.$$ Therefore, $$\left( \sin^{-1}(z)\right)^4=\frac{3}{4}\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{H_n^{(2)}(2z)^{2n+2}}{(n+1)(2n+1)\binom{2n}{n}}, \qquad |z|<1.$$ For $z=1/2$ this gives $(1)$: $$\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{H_n^{(2)}}{(n+1)(2n+1)\binom{2n}{n}}=\frac{4}{3}\left( \sin^{-1}\Bigl(\frac{1}{2}\Bigr)\right)^4=\frac{4}{3}\Bigl(\frac{\pi}{6}\Bigr)^4=\frac{\pi^4}{972}.$$

$\endgroup$
0

You must log in to answer this question.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.