291

11.3 Inversion of the Laplace transform

Additional operational rules for the Laplace transform; see also Table 5.3
p. 126.

Table 11.1

f (t)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

t 3/2 0 exp [( 2 /4t)] f ( ) d

(t)1/2 0 exp [( 2 /4t)] f ( ) d

(t)1/2 0 cos (2 t ) f ( ) d

(t)1/2 0 cosh (2 t ) f ( ) d

(t)1/2 0 sin (2 t ) f ( ) d

(t)1/2 0 sinh (2 t ) f ( ) d

0 J0 (2 t ) f ( ) d

f(s) = 0 est f (t) dt

2 f( s)

f( s)/ s
s 1/2 f(1/s)
s 1/2 f(1/s)
s 3/2 f(1/s)
s 3/2 f(1/s)
f(1/s)/s

t
0 J0 (a

t 2 2 ) f ( ) d

f( s 2 + a 2 )/ s 2 + a 2

t
2
2
0 I0 (a t ) f ( ) d

t
0 J0 (2 (t ) ) f ( ) d

f( s 2 a 2 )/ s 2 a 2

10
11

f (t 2 )

12

t 1 f (t 1 ) (Re > 1)

f(s + s 1 )/s

1/2 0 exp s 2 /4u2 f(u2 ) du

s /2 0 u/2 J (2 us) f(u) du

11.3 Inversion of the Laplace transform

Much of the usefulness of the Laplace transform arises from the possibility of using the
powerful methods of complex contour integration (17.9.1 p. 463) for the evaluation of the
inverse. A key result for this purpose is Jordans lemma which is given in full in 17.9.1
p. 463; for the present purposes it may be stated as follows:
Theorem 11.3.1 [Jordans lemma] Let there be a sequence of arcs of circle Cn of radius
Rn such that, when |s| = Rn , with Re s less than some xed constant c, the function
f tends to zero uniformly in arg s (Figure 11.2). Then, for any positive t,
lim

Rn

Cn

est f(s) ds = 0.

(11.3.1)

A similar relation holds for arcs to the right of the line z = c when t < 0.
On the basis of this result, the integration path in (11.1.7) can be closed by using a
sequence of large semi-circles which contribute nothing as their radius becomes innite.
When t < 0, the semi-circles must be closed to the right of the line z = c. Since f is