Bessel Functions and the Infinite Divisibility of the Student $t$- Distribution
Open Access
- 1 August 1977
- journal article
- Published by Institute of Mathematical Statistics in The Annals of Probability
- Vol. 5 (4) , 582-585
- https://doi.org/10.1214/aop/1176995766
Abstract
Using the representation theorem and inversion formula for Stieltjes transforms, we give a simple proof of the infinite divisibility of the student $t$-distribution for all degrees of freedom by showing that $x^{-\frac{1}{2}}K_\nu(x^{\frac{1}{2}})/K_{\nu+1}(x^{\frac{1}{2}})$ is completely monotonic for $\nu \geqq -1$. Our approach proves the stronger and new result, that $x^{-\frac{1}{2}}K_\nu (x^{\frac{1}{2}}) /K_{\nu+1}(x^{\frac{1}{2}})$ is a completely monotonic function of $x$ for all real $\nu$. We also derive a new integral representation.
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