An Expansion Formula for the Askey–Wilson Function Original Research Article

The Askey–Wilson function transform is a q-analogue of the Jacobi function transform with kernel given by an explicit non-polynomial eigenfunction of the Askey–Wilson second order q-difference operator. The kernel is called the Askey–Wilson function. In this paper an explicit expansion formula for the Askey–Wilson function in terms of Askey–Wilson polynomials is proven. With this expansion formula at hand, the image under the Askey–Wilson function transform of an Askey–Wilson polynomial multiplied by an analogue of the Gaussian is computed explicitly. As a special case of these formulas a q-analogue (in one variable) of the Macdonald–Mehta integral is obtained, for which also two alternative, direct proofs are presented.