The digamma function is a special function which is given by the logarithmic derivative of the gamma function (or, depending on the definition, the logarithmic derivative of the factorial).
Because of this ambiguity, two different notations are sometimes (but not always) used, with
(1)
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defined as the logarithmic derivative of the gamma function , and
(2)
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defined as the logarithmic derivative of the factorial function. The two are connected by the relationship
(3)
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The th derivative of is called the polygamma function, denoted . The notation
(4)
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is therefore frequently used for the digamma function itself, and Erdélyi et al. (1981) use the notation for . The digamma function is returned by the function PolyGamma[z] or PolyGamma[0, z] in the Wolfram Language, and typeset using the notation .
The digamma function arises in simple sums such as
(5)
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(6)
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where is a Lerch transcendent.
Special cases are given by
(7)
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(8)
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(9)
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(10)
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Gauss's digamma theorem states that
(11)
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(Allouche 1992, Knuth 1997, p. 94).
An asymptotic series for the digamma function is given by
(12)
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(13)
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(14)
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(15)
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(16)
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where is the Euler-Mascheroni constant and are Bernoulli numbers.
The digamma function satisfies
(17)
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For integer ,
(18)
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where is the Euler-Mascheroni constant and is a harmonic number.
Other identities include
(19)
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(20)
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(21)
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(22)
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Special values are
(23)
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(24)
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At integer values,
(25)
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(26)
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(Derbyshire 2004, p. 58), and at half-integral values,
(27)
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(28)
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where is a harmonic number.
It is given by the unit square integral
(29)
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for (Guillera and Sondow 2005). Plugging in gives a special case involving the Euler-Mascheroni constant.
The series for is given by
(30)
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A logarithmic series is given by
(31)
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(Guillera and Sondow 2005).
A surprising identity that arises from the FoxTrot series is given by
(32)
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