Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 February 2012
A scheme devised by Chandrasekhar for investigating the transformations between various differential equations of the second order governing perturbations of the Schwarzschild black hole demands further investigation. The transformation between two differential equations in normal form is considered, and a wide survey of the properties of the transformation is given. It is shown how Chandrasekhar's equations fit into the scheme, after which some examples with particular properties are considered. A detailed investigation of Bessel's equation is undertaken using various devices, in particular by employing asymptotic methods for products of Bessel functions, and employing matrix methods for dealing with large numbers of matrix equations which necessitates an interesting method of solution, the results being reinterpretations of the standard recurrence relations for Bessel functions.