BesselK[n,z]
gives the modified Bessel function of the second kind
.
BesselK
BesselK[n,z]
gives the modified Bessel function of the second kind
.
Details
- Mathematical function, suitable for both symbolic and numerical manipulation.
satisfies the differential equation
. - BesselK[n,z] has a branch cut discontinuity in the complex z plane running from
to
. - FullSimplify and FunctionExpand include transformation rules for BesselK.
- For certain special arguments, BesselK automatically evaluates to exact values.
- BesselK can be evaluated to arbitrary numerical precision.
- BesselK automatically threads over lists.
- BesselK can be used with Interval and CenteredInterval objects. »
Examples
open all close allBasic Examples (5)
BesselK[0, 0.53]Plot
over a subset of the reals:
Plot[BesselK[0, x], {x, 0.5, 3}]Plot over a subset of the complexes:
ComplexPlot3D[BesselK[1 / 2, z], {z, -2 - 2I, 2 + 2I}, PlotLegends -> Automatic]Series expansion at the origin:
Series[BesselK[0, x], {x, 0, 3}]Series expansion at Infinity:
Series[BesselK[0, x], {x, ∞, 4}]//NormalScope (45)
Numerical Evaluation (6)
BesselK[0, 4.0]N[BesselK[0, 4], 50]The precision of the output tracks the precision of the input:
BesselK[1, 4.000000000000000000000000000000000000]Evaluate for complex arguments and parameters:
BesselK[1 + I, 3.0 - 2I]Evaluate BesselK efficiently at high precision:
BesselK[0, 4`500]//TimingBesselK[0, 4`5000];//TimingCompute worst-case guaranteed intervals using Interval and CenteredInterval objects:
BesselK[1 / 2, Interval[{2.15, 2.16}]]BesselK[1 / 2, CenteredInterval[2, 1 / 100]]Or compute average-case statistical intervals using Around:
BesselK[2, Around[2, 0.01]]Compute the elementwise values of an array:
BesselK[0.5, {{1, 2}, {3, 4}}]Or compute the matrix BesselK function using MatrixFunction:
MatrixFunction[BesselK[0.5, #]&, {{1, 2}, {3, 4}}]Specific Values (4)
Value of BesselK for integers (
) orders at
:
{BesselK[0, 0], BesselK[1, 0]}For half-integer index, BesselK evaluates to elementary functions:
Table[BesselK[(2n - 1/2), x], {n, 1, 3}]Limit[BesselK[n, x], x -> Infinity]Find the value of
satisfying equation
:
sol = Solve[BesselK[0, x] == 2, x]//Quietxzero = x /. First[sol];
Plot[BesselK[0, x], {x, 0, 1}, Epilog -> Style[Point[{xzero, BesselK[0, xzero]}], Red, PointSize[Large]]]Visualization (3)
Plot the BesselK function for integer orders (
):
Plot[{BesselK[0, x], BesselK[1, x]}, {x, 0, 5}]Plot the real and imaginary parts of the BesselK function for integer orders (
):
ReImPlot[{BesselK[0, x], BesselK[1, x]}, {x, -3, 3}]ComplexContourPlot[Re[BesselK[0, z]], {z, -4 - 4I, 4 + 4I}, IconizedObject[«PlotOptions»]]ComplexContourPlot[Im[BesselK[0, z]], {z, -4 - 4I, 4 + 4I}, IconizedObject[«PlotOptions»]]Function Properties (11)
is defined for all real values greater than 0:
FunctionDomain[BesselK[n, x], x]FunctionDomain[BesselK[n, z], z, Complexes]For real
,
achieves all positive real values:
FunctionRange[BesselK[π, x], x, y]BesselK is an even function with respect to the first parameter:
BesselK[-n, z]//FullSimplifyTable[FunctionAnalytic[BesselK[n, z], z], {n, -2, 2}]BesselK is neither non-decreasing nor non-increasing:
Table[FunctionMonotonicity[BesselK[n, z], z], {n, 5}]Table[FunctionMonotonicity[BesselK[1 / n, z], z], {n, 5}]FunctionInjective[BesselK[n, z], z, Assumptions -> n∈Reals]Plot[{BesselK[1, z], BesselK[2, z], BesselK[1 / 3, z], .5}, {z, 0, 5}]
is not surjective for any real
:
FunctionSurjective[BesselK[n, z], z, Assumptions -> n∈Reals]Plot[{BesselK[1, z], BesselK[2, z], BesselK[1 / 3, z], -1}, {z, 0, 5}]BesselK is neither non-negative nor non-positive:
Table[FunctionSign[BesselK[n, z], z], {n, 4}]BesselK has both singularity and discontinuity for z≤0:
FunctionSingularities[BesselK[n, z], z]FunctionDiscontinuities[BesselK[n, z], z]FunctionConvexity[{BesselK[n, z], z > 0}, z, Assumptions -> n∈Reals]TraditionalForm formatting:
BesselK[n, r]//TraditionalFormDifferentiation (3)
D[BesselK[n, x], x]derivs = Table[D[BesselK[n, x], {x, k}], {k, 1, 4}]Plot higher derivatives for order
:
Plot[Evaluate[derivs /. n -> 0], {x, 0, 3}, PlotLegends -> {"First Derivative", "Second Derivative", "Third Derivative", "Fourth Derivative"}]D[BesselK[n, x], {x, j}]Integration (3)
Indefinite integral of BesselK:
Integrate[BesselK[n, x], x]Integrate expressions involving BesselK:
Integrate[x^n BesselK[0, x], {x, 0, Infinity}, Assumptions -> n ≥ 0]Integrate[BesselJ[n, x] BesselK[n, x], x]Definite integral of BesselK over its real domain:
Integrate[BesselK[n, x], {x, 0, Infinity}]Series Expansions (5)
Series[BesselK[0, x], {x, 0, 5}]Plot the first three approximations for
around
:
terms = Normal@Table[Series[BesselK[0, x], {x, 0, m}], {m, 1, 5, 2}];
Plot[{BesselK[0, x], terms}, {x, 0, 3}]General term in the series expansion of BesselK:
SeriesCoefficient[BesselK[0, x], {x, 1, n}]Asymptotic expansion for BesselK:
Series[BesselK[n, x], {x, Infinity, 2}]//NormalTaylor expansion at a generic point:
Series[BesselK[n, x], {x, x0, 2}]// FullSimplifyBesselK can be applied to a power series:
BesselK[0, Log[1 + x] + O[x] ^ 2]Integral Transforms (3)
LaplaceTransform[BesselK[n, t], t, s]HankelTransform[BesselK[n, r], r, s ]Compute the Mellin transform using MellinTransform:
MellinTransform[BesselK[n, x], x, s ]Function Identities and Simplifications (3)
Use FullSimplify to simplify Bessel functions:
FullSimplify[x BesselK[2, x] - x BesselK[0, x]]BesselI[ν, z] BesselK[ν + 1, z] + BesselI[ν + 1, z] BesselK[ν, z] == (1/z)//FullSimplifyFullSimplify[z(BesselK[n + 1, z] - BesselK[n - 1, z]) == 2n BesselK[n, z]]Function Representations (4)
Integral representation of BesselK:
(Sqrt[π]z^n/2^nGamma[n + (1/2)])Integrate[Exp[-z t](t^2 - 1)^n - (1/2), {t, 1, Infinity}]Represent using BesselI and Sin:
FullSimplify[(Pi/2)(BesselI[-n, x] - BesselI[n, x]/Sin[n Pi])]BesselK can be represented in terms of MeijerG:
MeijerGReduce[BesselK[n, x], x]Activate[%]BesselK can be represented as a DifferenceRoot:
DifferenceRootReduce[BesselK[k, z], k]Applications (3)
Specific heat of the relativistic ideal gas per particle:
cv[β_] := 3 + β(β - (BesselK[1, β]/BesselK[2, β])(3 + β (BesselK[1, β]/BesselK[2, β])))Find the ultra‐relativistic limit:
Series[cv[β], {β, 0, 4}, Assumptions -> β > 0]PDF of geometric mean of two independent exponential random variables:
PDF[TransformedDistribution[GeometricMean[{x, y}], {xExponentialDistribution[λ], yExponentialDistribution[μ]}], z]FullSimplify[%]Surface tension of an electrolyte solution as a function of concentration y:
2 BesselK[0, 2Sqrt[y]]HypergeometricPFQ[{1}, {2 / 3, 5 / 3}, y] + 3Sqrt[y]BesselK[1, 2Sqrt[y]]HypergeometricPFQ[{1}, {5 / 3, 5 / 3}, y];Onsager law for small concentrations:
Normal[Series[%, {y, 0, 0}, Assumptions -> y > 0]]Properties & Relations (2)
Use FullSimplify to simplify Bessel functions:
FullSimplify[x BesselK[2, x] - x BesselK[0, x]]The exponential generating function for BesselK:
ExponentialGeneratingFunction[BesselK[n, k], n, x]Possible Issues (1)
With numeric arguments, half-integer Bessel functions are not automatically evaluated:
BesselK[11 / 2, 1]For symbolic arguments they are:
BesselK[11 / 2, x]This can lead to inaccuracies in machine-precision evaluation:
{BesselK[55 / 2, -20.], BesselK[55 / 2, x] /. x -> -20.}Neat Examples (1)
With[{n = 0, ε = 1*^-12}, ParametricPlot3D[Table[{r Cos[φ], r Sin[φ], Im[(-1)^n kBesselK[n, r Exp[I φ]] + (-1)^n(k - 1) - 1π I k BesselI[n, r Exp[I φ]]]}, {k, -2, 2}], {r, ε, 3}, {φ, -π + ε, π - ε}, BoxRatios -> {1, 1, 2.5}, Mesh -> None, PlotStyle -> Directive[Hue[0.46], Opacity[0.6]]]]With[{ν = 1 / 3, ε = 1*^-12}, ParametricPlot3D[Table[{r Cos[φ], r Sin[φ], Im[Exp[-k ν π I] BesselK[ν, r Exp[I φ]] - π I ChebyshevU[k - 1, Cos[ν π]] BesselI[ν, r Exp[I φ]]]}, {k, -2, 2}], {r, ε, 3}, {φ, -π + ε, π - ε}, BoxRatios -> {1, 1, 2.5}, Mesh -> None, PlotStyle -> Directive[Hue[0.23], Opacity[0.6]]]]Tech Notes
Related Guides
Related Links
History
Introduced in 1988 (1.0) | Updated in 1999 (4.0) ▪ 2000 (4.1) ▪ 2002 (4.2) ▪ 2021 (13.0) ▪ 2022 (13.1)
Text
Wolfram Research (1988), BesselK, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/BesselK.html (updated 2022).
CMS
Wolfram Language. 1988. "BesselK." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2022. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/BesselK.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (1988). BesselK. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/BesselK.html
BibTeX
@misc{reference.wolfram_2026_besselk, author="Wolfram Research", title="{BesselK}", year="2022", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/BesselK.html}", note=[Accessed: 13-June-2026]}
BibLaTeX
@online{reference.wolfram_2026_besselk, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={BesselK}, year={2022}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/BesselK.html}, note=[Accessed: 13-June-2026]}