Calculus – Evaluating a Sine Integral $\int_0^{\infty} \left(\frac{\sin x }{x }\right)^n\,\mathrm{d}x$

calculuscomplex-analysisresidue-calculus

The following question comes from Some integral with sine post
$$\int_0^{\infty} \left(\frac{\sin x }{x }\right)^n\,\mathrm{d}x$$
but now I'd be curious to know how to deal with it by methods of complex analysis.
Some suggestions, hints? Thanks!!!

Sis.

Best Answer

Here's another approach.

We have $$\begin{eqnarray*} \int_0^\infty dx\, \left(\frac{\sin x}{x}\right)^n &=& \lim_{\epsilon\to 0^+} \frac{1}{2} \int_{-\infty}^\infty dx\, \left(\frac{\sin x}{x-i\epsilon}\right)^n \\ &=& \lim_{\epsilon\to 0^+} \frac{1}{2} \int_{-\infty}^\infty dx\, \frac{1}{(x-i\epsilon)^n} \left(\frac{e^{i x}-e^{-i x}}{2i}\right)^n \\ &=& \lim_{\epsilon\to 0^+} \frac{1}{2} \frac{1}{(2i)^n} \int_{-\infty}^\infty dx\, \frac{1}{(x-i\epsilon)^n} \sum_{k=0}^n (-1)^k {n \choose k} e^{i x(n-2k)} \\ &=& \lim_{\epsilon\to 0^+} \frac{1}{2} \frac{1}{(2i)^n} \sum_{k=0}^n (-1)^k {n \choose k} \int_{-\infty}^\infty dx\, \frac{e^{i x(n-2k)}}{(x-i\epsilon)^n}. \end{eqnarray*}$$ If $n-2k \ge 0$ we close the contour in the upper half-plane and pick up the residue at $x=i\epsilon$. Otherwise we close the contour in the lower half-plane and pick up no residues. The upper limit of the sum is thus $\lfloor n/2\rfloor$. Therefore, using the Cauchy differentiation formula, we find $$\begin{eqnarray*} \int_0^\infty dx\, \left(\frac{\sin x}{x}\right)^n &=& \frac{1}{2} \frac{1}{(2i)^n} \sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor n/2\rfloor} (-1)^k {n \choose k} \frac{2\pi i}{(n-1)!} \left.\frac{d^{n-1}}{d x^{n-1}} e^{i x(n-2k)}\right|_{x=0} \\ &=& \frac{1}{2} \frac{1}{(2i)^n} \sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor n/2\rfloor} (-1)^k {n \choose k} \frac{2\pi i}{(n-1)!} (i(n-2k))^{n-1} \\ &=& \frac{\pi}{2^n (n-1)!} \sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor n/2\rfloor} (-1)^k {n \choose k} (n-2k)^{n-1}. \end{eqnarray*}$$ The sum can be written in terms of the hypergeometric function but the result is not particularly enlightening.

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