On the dual nature of partial theta functions and Appell–Lerch sums

Abstract

In recent work, Hickerson and the author demonstrated that it is useful to think of Appell–Lerch sums as partial theta functions. This notion can be used to relate identities involving partial theta functions with identities involving Appell–Lerch sums. In this sense, Appell–Lerch sums and partial theta functions appear to be dual to each other. This duality theory is not unlike that found by Andrews between various sets of identities of Rogers–Ramanujan type with respect to Baxter's solution to the hard hexagon model of statistical mechanics. As an application we construct bilateral q-series with mixed mock modular behaviour. In subsequent work we see that our bilateral series are well-suited for computing radial limits of Ramanujan's mock theta functions.