Some Closed-Form Evaluations of Multiple Hypergeometric and <Emphasis Type="Italic">q</Emphasis>-Hypergeometric Series

The main object of the present paper is to show how some fairly general analytical tools and techniques can be applied with a view to deriving summation, transformation and reduction formulas for multiple hypergeometric and multiple basic (or q-) hypergeometric series. By making use of some reduction formulas for multivariable hypergeometric functions, the authors investigate several closed-form evaluations of various families of multiple hypergeometric and q-hypergeometric series. Relevant connections of the results presented in this paper with those obtained in earlier works are also considered. A number of multiple q-series identities, which are developed in this paper, are observed to be potentially useful in the related problems involving closed-form evaluations of multivariable q-hypergeometric functions. Dedicated to the Memory of Leonard Carlitz (1907–1999)Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000) Primary 33C65, 33C70, 33D70; secondary 33C20, 33D15.