Dilogarithm

In mathematics, the dilogarithm (or Spence's function), denoted as Li₂(z), is a particular case of the polylogarithm. Two related special functions are referred to as Spence's function, the dilogarithm itself:

${\displaystyle \operatorname {Li} _{2}(z)=-\int _{0}^{z}{\ln(1-u) \over u}\,du{\text{, }}z\in \mathbb {C} }$

and its reflection. For |z| < 1, an infinite series also applies (the integral definition constitutes its analytical extension to the complex plane):

${\displaystyle \operatorname {Li} _{2}(z)=\sum _{k=1}^{\infty }{z^{k} \over k^{2}}.}$

Alternatively, the dilogarithm function is sometimes defined as

${\displaystyle \int _{1}^{v}{\frac {\ln t}{1-t}}dt=\operatorname {Li} _{2}(1-v).}$

In hyperbolic geometry the dilogarithm can be used to compute the volume of an ideal simplex. Specifically, a simplex whose vertices have cross ratio z has hyperbolic volume

${\displaystyle D(z)=\operatorname {Im} \operatorname {Li} _{2}(z)+\arg(1-z)\log |z|.}$

The function D(z) is sometimes called the Bloch-Wigner function. Lobachevsky's function and Clausen's function are closely related functions.

William Spence, after whom the function was named by early writers in the field, was a Scottish mathematician working in the early nineteenth century. He was at school with John Galt, who later wrote a biographical essay on Spence.