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Consider the following sum:

\begin{equation} S_n=\frac{2}{n}\sum_{k\; {\rm odd}}^{n-1}\frac{\sin\left(\frac{\pi k}{n}\right)\sin\left(\frac{\pi k r}{n}\right)}{a+1-\cos \left(\frac{\pi k}{n}\right)}, \end{equation} where $1\leq r\leq n$ and $a\geq 0$. We sum over all values of $k$ being odd.

when $n\to\infty$ I am able to show that \begin{equation} \lim_{n\to\infty}S_n=\int_0^\infty\frac{r}{t}I_r(2t)e^{-2 t(1 + a)}\mathrm{d}t=\frac{1}{(1 + a + \sqrt{a (2 + a)})^{r}}, \end{equation}

where $I_r(t)$ is the modified Bessel function of the second kind. However, what I am really interested in is the finite $n$ regime. Unfortunately I have no idea how to evaluate this sum!

PS: $S_n$ can be seen as the probability that a random walker reaches the origin of a periodic lattice of length $n$ where $a$ is the rate at which the random walker dies. For $a=0$, the walker is guaranteed to reach the origin.

papad
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    What is $I_r(2t)$? What is $t$? – Gary Sep 23 '24 at 06:37
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    My bad, I forgot to include a few steps. – papad Sep 23 '24 at 07:22
  • One question: is $r$ integer or rational? And one comment: I'm not sure about a closed form, but I guess I can find the asymptotics (at least, several first terms) at $n\to\infty$. The approach would be the same as used here: https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/4951182/sum-of-sum-i-0n-1-frac1a-sin2-fracij-pin/4951680#4951680 – Svyatoslav Sep 24 '24 at 12:48
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    $r$ is an integer. I will look at the link you sent, thanks! – papad Sep 25 '24 at 00:25

1 Answers1

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I wrote my try below. It does not provide an answer and so I did not checked the correctness of all operations. Nevertheless, I hope it can help to decide to follow this way or not.

In order to have the sum in the expression for $S_n$ be nonempty, we assume that $n\ge 2$. Put $n'=\left\lfloor \frac n2\right\rfloor$ and $\xi=e^{\pi i/n}$. Then $\xi^{2n'}$ equals $\xi^{n}=e^{\pi i}=-1$, if $n$ is even, and equals $\xi^{n+1}=e^{\pi i}\xi=-\xi$, if $n$ is odd.

Let $s$ be any integer and $$\Sigma(s)=\sum_{k\; {\rm odd}}^{n-1} \xi^{sk}= \sum_{\ell=0}^{n'-1} \xi^{s(2\ell+1)}.$$

We have $\xi^s=1$ iff $2n|s$. In this case each summand of $\Sigma(s)$ is $1$ so $\Sigma(s)=n'$. Otherwise $$\Sigma(s)=\xi^s\sum_{\ell=0}^{n'-1} \xi^{2s\ell}=\xi^s\cdot\frac{1-\xi^{2sn'}}{1-\xi^s}= \begin{cases} \hskip20pt 0, & \text{if } n \text{ is even and } s \text{ is even},\\ \hskip5pt \frac {2\xi^s}{1-\xi^s}, & \text{if } n \text{ is even and } s \text{ is odd},\\ \hskip15pt \xi^s, & \text{if } n \text{ is odd and } s \text{ is even},\\ \frac {\xi^s+\xi^{2s}}{1-\xi^s}, & \text{if } n \text{ is odd and } s \text{ is odd}.\\ \end{cases} $$

Moreover, it is easy to check that $$\Sigma(s)+\Sigma(-s)= \begin{cases} \hskip63pt 0, & \text{if } n \text{ is even and } s \text{ is even},\\ \hskip55pt -2, & \text{if } n \text{ is even and } s \text{ is odd},\\ \hskip32pt \xi^s+\xi^{-s}, & \text{if } n \text{ is odd and } s \text{ is even},\\ -(2+\xi^s+\xi^{-s}), & \text{if } n \text{ is odd and } s \text{ is odd}.\\ \end{cases} $$

Since for each real $x$ we have $\sin x=\frac{e^{xi}-e^{-xi}}{2i}$ and $\cos x=\frac{e^{xi}+e^{-xi}}2$, for each natural $k$ we have $\sin\frac{\pi k}n=\frac{\xi^k-\xi^{-k}}{2i}$, $\cos\frac{\pi k}n=\frac{\xi^k+\xi^{-k}}{2}$, and $\sin\frac{\pi kr}n=\frac{\xi^{kr}-\xi^{-rk}}{2i}$.

Suppose now that $a>0$ or $n\ne 2\pmod 4$. Put $b=\frac 1{2(a+1)}$. Then for each odd $k\le n-1$ we have $|2b\cos\frac{\pi k}n|<1$, so $$ \frac 1{a+1-\cos\frac{\pi k}n}=2b\cdot \frac 1{1-2b\cdot \cos\frac{\pi k}n}= $$ $$2b\cdot\sum_{m=0}^\infty (2b)^m\cdot \cos^m\frac{\pi k}n=2b\cdot\sum_{m=0}^\infty b^m\cdot \left(\xi^k+\xi^{-k}\right)^m= $$ $$ 2b\cdot\sum_{m=0}^\infty b^m\cdot \sum_{j=0}^m {m\choose j}\xi^{k(2j-m)}. $$

Therefore $$nS_n=4b\sum_{\ell=0}^{n'-1} \frac{\xi^{2\ell+1}-\xi^{-(2\ell+1)}}{2i}\cdot \frac{\xi^{(2\ell+1)r}-\xi^{-(2\ell+1)r}}{2i} \times$$ $$\sum_{m=0}^\infty b^m\cdot \sum_{j=0}^m {m\choose j}\xi^{(2\ell+1)(2j-m)}=$$ $$-b\sum_{m=0}^\infty b^m \sum_{j=0}^m {m\choose j}\cdot \sum_{\ell=0}^{n'-1} (\xi^{2\ell+1}-\xi^{-(2\ell+1)})(\xi^{(2\ell+1)r}-\xi^{-(2\ell+1)r})\xi^{(2\ell+1)(2j-m)}= $$ $$ -b\sum_{m=0}^\infty b^m P(m),$$ where $$P(m)=\sum_{j=0}^m {m\choose j}(\Sigma(1+r+2j-m)-\Sigma(1-r+2j-m)-$$ $$ \Sigma(-1+r+2j-m)+\Sigma(-1-r+2j-m)). $$

Now there is a hope that we shall be able to cancel many summands here, calculating the coefficients at $\Sigma(s)$ or using the expression for $\Sigma(s)+\Sigma(-s)$. Moreover, if both $n$ and $1+r-m$ are even then all summands $\Sigma(s)$ are equal to $0$, but those with $2n|s$ which are equal to $n/2$.

Also when $b$ is small (that is, $a$ is big) maybe it suffices to calculate a $P(m)$ for a few first natural $m$ to provide a good asymptotics for $nS_n$.

Update. Unfortunately, the coefficients at $\Sigma(s)$ do not look good even for $r=1$. Namely, in this case

$$P(m)=\sum_{j=0}^m {m\choose j}(\Sigma(2+2j-m)-2\Sigma(2j-m)+\Sigma(-2+2j-m))=$$ $$\sum_{j=0}^m \Sigma(2j-m)\left({m\choose j+1}-2 {m\choose j}+{m\choose j-1}\right)=$$ $$m!\sum_{j=0}^m \Sigma(2j-m)\cdot\frac{m^2-4mj+4j^2-m-2}{(j+1)!(m-j+1)!}.$$

Alex Ravsky
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