B3.19

Methods of Mathematical Physics
Part II, 2004

The function w(z)w(z) satisfies the third-order differential equation

d3wdz3zw=0\frac{d^{3} w}{d z^{3}}-z w=0

subject to the conditions w(z)0w(z) \rightarrow 0 as z±iz \rightarrow \pm i \infty and w(0)=1w(0)=1. Obtain an integral representation for w(z)w(z) of the form

w(z)=γeztf(t)dtw(z)=\int_{\gamma} e^{z t} f(t) d t

and determine the function f(t)f(t) and the contour γ\gamma.

Using the change of variable t=z1/3τt=z^{1 / 3} \tau, or otherwise, compute the leading term in the asymptotic expansion of w(z)w(z) as z+z \rightarrow+\infty.