Generalized hypergeometric functions with several variables

Abstract

We introduce a hypergeometric series with several variables, which generalizes Appell’s, Lauricella’s and Kempé de Fériet’s hypergeometric series, and study the system of differential equations that it satisfies. We determine the singularities, the rank and the condition for the reducibility of the system. We give complete local solutions of the system at many singular points of the system and solve the connection problem among these local solutions. Under some assumptions, the system is written as a KZ-type equation. We determine its spectral type in the direction of coordinates as well as simultaneous eigenspace decompositions of residue matrices. The system may or may not be rigid in the sense of N. Katz viewed as an ordinary differential equation in some direction. We also show that the system is a special case of Gel’fand–Kapranov–Zelevinsky system. From this point of view, we discuss multivariate generalizations.