# Mittag-Leffler summation method

A semi-continuous summation method for summing series of numbers and functions, defined by a sequence of functions

$g_k(\delta) = \frac{1}{\Gamma(1 + \delta k)}, \quad \delta > 0, \quad k = 0, 1, \dots,$

where $\Gamma(x)$ is the gamma-function. A series

$\sum_{k=0}^{\infty} u_k$

is summable by the Mittag-Leffler method to a sum $s$ if

$\lim\limits_{\delta \to 0}\sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac{u_k}{\Gamma(1 + \delta k)} = s$

and if the series under the limit sign converges. The method was introduced by G. Mittag-Leffler [1] primarily for the series

$\sum_{k=0}^{\infty} z^k .$

A Mittag-Leffler summation method is regular (see Regular summation methods) and is used as a tool for the analytic continuation of functions. If $f(z)$ is the principal branch of an analytic function, regular at zero and represented by a series

$\sum_{k=0}^{\infty}a_k z^k$

for small $z$, then this series is summable by the Mittag-Leffler method to $f(z)$ in the whole star of the function $f(z)$ (cf. Star of a function element) and, moreover, uniformly in any closed bounded domain contained in the interior of the star.

For summation methods defined by transformations of sequences by semi-continuous matrices $a_k(\omega)$ of the type

$a_k(\omega) = \frac{c_{k+1}\omega^{k+1}}{E(\omega)},$

where

$E(\omega) = \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} c_k \omega^k$

is an entire function, Mittag-Leffler considered the case when

$E(\omega) = \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac{\omega^k}{\Gamma(1+ak)}$

A matrix $a_k(\omega)$ with such an entire function is called a Mittag-Leffler matrix.

#### References

 [1] G. Mittag-Leffler, , Atti IV congress. internaz. , 1 , Rome (1908) pp. 67–85 [2] G. Mittag-Leffler, "Sur la répresentation analytique d'une branche uniforme d'une fonction monogène" Acta Math. , 29 (1905) pp. 101–181 [3] G.H. Hardy, "Divergent series" , Clarendon Press (1949) [4] R.G. Cooke, "Infinite matrices and sequence spaces" , Macmillan (1950)

The function $E(\omega)$ considered by Mittag-Leffler is called a Mittag-Leffler function.