EllipticTheta[a,u,q]
gives the theta function
.
EllipticTheta[a,q]
gives the theta constant .


EllipticTheta
✖
EllipticTheta
Details

- Mathematical function, suitable for both symbolic and numerical manipulation.
.
.
.
.
- The
are only defined within the unit q disk,
; the unit disk forms a natural boundary of analyticity.
- Within the unit q disk,
and
have branch cuts from
to
.
- For certain special arguments, EllipticTheta automatically evaluates to exact values.
- EllipticTheta can be evaluated to arbitrary numerical precision.
- EllipticTheta automatically threads over lists.
- EllipticTheta can be used with Interval and CenteredInterval objects. »
Examples
open all close allBasic Examples (3)Summary of the most common use cases
Scope (20)Survey of the scope of standard use cases
Numerical Evaluation (5)

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-l274ju


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-cksbl4


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-b0wt9

The precision of the output tracks the precision of the input:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-y7k4a


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-hfml09

Evaluate efficiently at high precision:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-di5gcr


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-bq2c6r

EllipticTheta can be used with Interval and CenteredInterval objects:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-psgutd


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-enzbe7

Specific Values (3)

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-cgkwdk

EllipticTheta evaluates symbolically for special arguments:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-bdag4x


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-bo964q

Find the first positive minimum of EllipticTheta[3,x,1/2]:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-f2hrld


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-dd7na2

Visualization (2)
Plot the EllipticTheta function for various parameters:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-drb1t8


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-c7sf4v


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-xul6k

Function Properties (10)
Real and complex domains of EllipticTheta:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-5t0713


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-de3irc

EllipticTheta is a periodic function with respect to :

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-bx99ar

EllipticTheta threads elementwise over lists:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-g3cl5t


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-be4iot


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-s9ypiy

For example, has no singularities or discontinuities:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-mdtl3h


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-8alhkv

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-mn5jws

is neither nondecreasing nor nonincreasing:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-nlz7s


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-poz8g


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-ctca0g


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-cxk3a6


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-frlnsr

is neither non-negative nor non-positive:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-84dui

is neither convex nor concave:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-8kku21

TraditionalForm formatting:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-glpjv1


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-qfs8b

Generalizations & Extensions (1)Generalized and extended use cases
EllipticTheta can be applied to a power series:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-xbejz6

Applications (11)Sample problems that can be solved with this function
Plot theta functions near the unit circle in the complex q plane:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-066ah


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-ckybw

The number of representations of as a sum of four squares:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-t8u3n7


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-bkguon

Verify Jacobi's triple product identity through a series expansion:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-zv0i6

Conformal map from an ellipse to the unit disk:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-cjv3jn

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-q06bmn

Green's function for the 1D heat equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions and initial condition :

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-dmlwde
Plot the time‐dependent temperature distribution:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-jjafwo

Form Bloch functions of a one‐dimensional crystal with Gaussian orbitals:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-89vpeo
Plot Bloch functions as a function of the quasi‐wave vector:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-gbk2lx

Electrostatic potential in a NaCl‐like crystal with point-like ions:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-pevwn

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-ola795
Plot the potential in a plane through the crystal:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-24b2ox

A concise form of the Poisson summation formula:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-7294ha


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-2d5ime

An asymptotic approximation for a finite Gaussian sum:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-cdpj8m

Compare the approximate and exact values for :

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-clu3dc


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-fk652r

Closed form of iterates of the arithmetic‐geometric mean:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-dr56ed
Compare the closed form with explicit iterations:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-ci0txa


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-cyv4dy

Form any elliptic function with given periods, poles and zeros as a rational function of EllipticTheta:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-dmv8tz
Form an elliptic function with a single and a double zero and a triple pole:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-c9vhi1

Plot the resulting elliptic function:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-c52bdi

Properties & Relations (2)Properties of the function, and connections to other functions
Numerically find a root of a transcendental equation:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-ji7yi8

Sum can generate elliptic theta functions:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-c6nx9a

Possible Issues (4)Common pitfalls and unexpected behavior
Machine-precision input is insufficient to give a correct answer:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-n12dyz

Use arbitrary-precision arithmetic to obtain the correct result:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-bc1xp2

The first argument must be an explicit integer between 1 and 4:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-bwp2ya


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-2w91a

EllipticTheta has the attribute NHoldFirst:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-04lcsm

Different argument conventions exist for theta functions:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-9jl305


https://wolfram.com/xid/0b8day5o9i-y2c7j0

See Also
ModularLambda DedekindEta KleinInvariantJ InverseEllipticNomeQ QPochhammer EllipticThetaPrime SiegelTheta WeierstrassSigma
Function Repository: MockTheta MakeEllipticFunction EisensteinE
Tech Notes
Related Guides
Related Links
History
Introduced in 1988 (1.0) | Updated in 2017 (11.2) ▪ 2021 (13.0) ▪ 2022 (13.1)
Wolfram Research (1988), EllipticTheta, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html (updated 2022).
Text
Wolfram Research (1988), EllipticTheta, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html (updated 2022).
Wolfram Research (1988), EllipticTheta, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html (updated 2022).
CMS
Wolfram Language. 1988. "EllipticTheta." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2022. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html.
Wolfram Language. 1988. "EllipticTheta." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2022. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (1988). EllipticTheta. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html
Wolfram Language. (1988). EllipticTheta. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html
BibTeX
@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_elliptictheta, author="Wolfram Research", title="{EllipticTheta}", year="2022", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html}", note=[Accessed: 26-August-2025]}
@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_elliptictheta, author="Wolfram Research", title="{EllipticTheta}", year="2022", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html}", note=[Accessed: 26-August-2025]}
BibLaTeX
@online{reference.wolfram_2025_elliptictheta, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={EllipticTheta}, year={2022}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html}, note=[Accessed: 26-August-2025]}
@online{reference.wolfram_2025_elliptictheta, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={EllipticTheta}, year={2022}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticTheta.html}, note=[Accessed: 26-August-2025]}