Solving Second Pole Residue ∫(dθ)/(a+bcosθ)^2

  • Thread starter Thread starter davavsh
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Pole Residue
davavsh
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
∫(dθ)/(a+bcosθ)^2


Homework Equations


I'm trying to find the above integral (from 0-2pi) using Cauchy's Residue theorem. After closing the contour and re-writing the integrant, I know that I have singularity at (-a/b)+(√(a/b)^2-1)- (double pole or is it??).

The Attempt at a Solution


I have tried both single pole and double pole residues using the limit approach but the calculation gets very cumbersome and i don't arrive at the write answer [its (2a*pi)/(a^2-b^2)^(3/2)]. According the Mathematica Res[(-a/b)+(√(a/b)^2-1)]=b*(b^2-a^2)*((a/b)^2-1)^(1/2).

Any tips/suggestions would be appreciate on how to arrive at the result given by Mathematica (which agrees with answer given in the book).

Thanks,
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Well, what you are calculating with Mathematica makes no sense. You should be calculating the residue of \frac{z}{(az + b(z^2+1)/2)^2}.

Your work seems correct as far as you write it... So the integrand has a double pole at z = -\frac{a}{b} + \sqrt{\frac{a^2}{b^2}-1} assuming a/b>0.

You can write the integral as I = \frac{4i}{b^2} \int \frac{z dz }{ (z^2 + \frac{2a}{b} z + 1)^2} = \frac{4i}{b^2} \int \frac{z dz }{(z-c_{+})^2(z-c_{-})^2} where z_{\pm} = -\frac{a}{b} \pm \sqrt{\frac{a^2}{b^2} -1}. Finding the residue from here should not be too difficult.
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
Back
Top