APPLICATION OF LAGUERRE TRANSFORM

ON HEAT CONDUCTION PROBLEM

By L. D E B N A T H (Barasa.t~ West Bengal, India)

DEBNATH (1960) has i n t r o d u c e d L a ~ m r r e T r a n s f o r m ]~(n) of F ( x )

when ]~(n) and F ( x ) are connected by means of the integral

(1) f~(n) - - T lF(x)l - - f e-~ x~ L~,(x) F(x) dx

0

where L~(x) is the Laguerre polynomial of degree n (n being a non-

negative integer~ a > - - 1).
The inverse t r a n s f o r m of 1~(n) was given by

(2) F(x) = T-1 if~(n)! - - Z (8,,)-, L(n) L~(x)

0<x<c~
The o r t h o g o n a l relations for Laguerre polynomiMs

f e -~r x ~' L~(x) L ~ ( x ) d x = 0 n =~= m

0
"--8,, n "-- m

where
8---[~(:~.~-1)(n-~-a) n

In an earlier p a p e r (1960), a few properties of the t r a n s f o r m have

been obtained.
The object of this paper is to apply the t r a n s f o r m in finding solu-
tion of heat equation for one-dimensional linear flow of heat in the
semi-infinite medium 0 ~ x < ~ .
The heat equation for one dimensional flow is given by

(3) ~ ~ v(x, t) § Q(z, t) = ~.c ~ V(x, t).

18 L. DEBNATH

where K is the conductivity, U (x, t) is the t e m p e r a t u r e at a distance

x a t t i m e t, Q(~, t) is a continuous source of h e a t ~within the m a t e r i a l
a n d p, c are the density a n d specific heat respectively.
I f the t h e r m a l conductivity, density and the source Q ( x , t) be
chosen as

K = ~e-~x~, O(x, t) -~ ~e - x x~'~x U(x, t), ~ = v 9

where k, ~, v are constants, ~ is a positive n u m b e r _~ 1 and ~ - - ~ ' ~ 1 .

T h e n the heat equation (3) reduces to

(4) ~ ~x [xU(X' t ) = ~ e - ~ x ~ ' U(x, t).

Consider now a very long non-homogenous b a r in the ideal mathe-

m a t i c a l problem, one e x t r e m i t y of the b a r a t the origin and the other
a t i n f i n i t y whose l a t e r a l surface is insulated. I t follows f r o m the
prescribed n a t u r e of t h e r m a l conductivity t h a t the ends of the b a r are
also insulated.
Suppose ~hat the initial t e m p e r a t u r e be prescribed as

(5) U(x, O) ---- G(x) 0 <-- x <

where G ( x ) is a n y f u n c t i o n suitably determined in 0 ~_ x < c~. Let

T { V ( x , t)} = u a ( n , t).
W e have on account of the result

TiR[F(x)]I : - - nf=(n)

d [ e_Zx~+ ~ d F ( x ) l DEBNATH- Bull.

R[F(x)] ~- e Z x - a ~ x dx Cal. Math. Soc. (1960).

The equations (4) and (5) assume the f o r m

d us(n, t) = - - us(n, t)
(6) d--t j
u~(n, O) = g~(n)" l
where ~ = ~ -{-~ --1, c' vc

and ),, t~, v be so chosen in order, t h a t a > - 1.

The solution of the above equations (6) can be w r i t t e n as

n_ t
us(n, t) - - g J n ) . e c, .
 Application ol Laguerre Transform on heat conduction problem 19

By inverse transformation (2), w e o b t a i n the solution as

co ~.n t
U(x, t ) - - , = o Z ( ~ " ) - l g ~ + ~ - l ( n ) L"~+~-X(x) e-U~"

In conclusion, I am indebted to Dr. M. DUTTA o f J a d a v p u r Uni-

versity and Mr. P. K. GrlosH of Calcutta University for their kind help.

Pervenuta in Redazione il 2~ marzo 196~.

RIASSUNTO

I n questa Nota l ' a u t o r e si serve della t r a s f o r m a z i o n e di L a g u e r r e [ d a l u i stesso

usata in un suo p r e e e d e n t e lavoro (1960)] per risolvere l'equazione del ealore ne~
caso in cui esso fluisce tungo una sola direzione lineare a~traverso u n a lunghissima
sbarra, non omogenea, di data eonduttivit'h termica, e cib sotto c e r t e condizionL
Si suppone c h e l a sorgente di calore si trovi entro il mezzo considerato.

SUMMARY

I n this paper the author has utilised the Laguerre t r a n s f o r m introduced by

him in a n earlier p a p e r (1960), to solve the h e a t equation for one-dimensional
linear flow of h e a t in a very long non-homogenous bar of prescribed t h e r m a l con-
ductivity u n d e r c e r t a i n boundary conditions, the source of h e a t is being t a k e n
within the medium.

REFERENCES

1) DEBNATH (1960) : Bull. Cat. Math. Soe. Vol. 52, p. 69.

2) S~DDON (1951): F o u r i e r T r a n s f o r m .