Necessary and sufficient conditions for functions involving the tri- and tetra-gamma functions to be completely monotonic

The psi function ψ(x) is defined by ψ(x)=Γ^′(x)/Γ(x), where Γ(x) is the gamma function. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for the function ψ^″(x)+[ψ^′(x+α)]² or its negative to be completely monotonic on (−α,∞), where . We also prove that the function [ψ^′(x)]²+λψ^″(x) is completely monotonic on (0,∞) if and only if λ1. As an application of the latter conclusion, the monotonicity and convexity of the function e^pψ(x+1)−qx with respect to x(−1,∞) are thoroughly discussed for p≠0 and .