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23 Weierstrass Elliptic and Modular FunctionsModular Functions

§23.15 Definitions

Contents
  1. §23.15(i) General Modular Functions
  2. §23.15(ii) Functions \lambda\left(\tau\right), J\left(\tau\right), \eta\left(\tau\right)

§23.15(i) General Modular Functions

In §§23.1523.19, k and k^{\prime}(\in\mathbb{C}) denote the Jacobi modulus and complementary modulus, respectively, and q=e^{i\pi\tau} (\Im\tau>0) denotes the nome; compare §§20.1 and 22.1. Thus

23.15.2
k=\frac{{\theta_{2}}^{2}\left(0,q\right)}{{\theta_{3}}^{2}\left(0,q\right)},
k^{\prime}=\frac{{\theta_{4}}^{2}\left(0,q\right)}{{\theta_{3}}^{2}\left(0,q%
\right)}.

Also \mathcal{A} denotes a bilinear transformation on \tau, given by

23.15.3 \mathcal{A}\tau=\frac{a\tau+b}{c\tau+d},

in which a,b,c,d are integers, with

23.15.4 ad-bc=1.

The set of all bilinear transformations of this form is denoted by SL(2,\mathbb{Z}) (Serre (1973, p. 77)).

A modular function f(\tau) is a function of \tau that is meromorphic in the half-plane \Im\tau>0, and has the property that for all \mathcal{A}\in\mbox{SL}(2,\mathbb{Z}), or for all \mathcal{A} belonging to a subgroup of SL(2,\mathbb{Z}),

where c_{\mathcal{A}} is a constant depending only on \mathcal{A}, and \ell (the level) is an integer or half an odd integer. (Some references refer to 2\ell as the level). If, as a function of q, f(\tau) is analytic at q=0, then f(\tau) is called a modular form. If, in addition, f(\tau)\to 0 as q\to 0, then f(\tau) is called a cusp form.

§23.15(ii) Functions \lambda\left(\tau\right), J\left(\tau\right), \eta\left(\tau\right)

Elliptic Modular Function

23.15.6 \lambda\left(\tau\right)=\frac{{\theta_{2}}^{4}\left(0,q\right)}{{\theta_{3}}^%
{4}\left(0,q\right)};

compare also (23.15.2).

Klein’s Complete Invariant

23.15.7 J\left(\tau\right)=\frac{\left({\theta_{2}}^{8}\left(0,q\right)+{\theta_{3}}^{%
8}\left(0,q\right)+{\theta_{4}}^{8}\left(0,q\right)\right)^{3}}{54\left(\theta%
_{1}'\left(0,q\right)\right)^{8}},

where (as in §20.2(i))

Dedekind’s Eta Function (or Dedekind Modular Function)

In (23.15.9) the branch of the cube root is chosen to agree with the second equality; in particular, when \tau lies on the positive imaginary axis the cube root is real and positive. See also 27.14.12.