Lecture 19:

Complex Exponents
Dan Sloughter
Furman University
Mathematics 39
April 6, 2004

19.1

Complex exponents

Definition 19.1. Given c C and z C, z 6= 0, we define

z c = ec log(z) .
Example 19.1. We have
2i = ei log(2) = ei(ln(2)+i2n) = ei ln(2)2n = e2n (cos(ln(2)) + i sin(ln(2))),
for n = 0, 1, 2, . . ..
Example 19.2. We have

ii = ei log(i) = ei(i( 2 +2n)) = e(2n+ 2 ) , n = 0, 1, 2, . . . .

Let R. If, for z = rei , r > 0, < < + 2, we choose the branch
log(z) = ln(r) + i
of log(z), we obtain a branch
z c = ec log(z)
of z c . We then have
d c
d
c
cec log(z)
z = ec log(z) = ec log(z) = log(z) = ce(c1) log(z) = cz c1
dz
dz
z
e
1

for z in
U = {z = rei C : r > 0, < < + 2}.
In particular, z c is an analytic function of z for z U .
The principal value of z c is
P.V. z c = ecLog (z) .
This is the principal branch of z c , and is analytic in
{z = rei C : r > 0, < < }.

Example 19.3. P.V. ii = e 2 .

3

Example 19.4. The principle branch of z 5 is

  
 

3
3
3
3
3
5
Log
(z)
(ln(r)+i)
3
P.V. z 5 = e 5
+ i sin
,
= e5
= r cos
5
5
where z = ri , r > 0 and = Arg (z).
For a fixed c C, c 6= 0, fix a value of log(c) and consider the function
cz . Then
d z
d
c = ez log(c) = ez log(c) log(c) = cz log(c).
dz
dz
z
Hence c is an entire function of z. Moreover, note that if c = e and we use
Log (e), this reduces to our previous result about ez .