On Chudnovsky-Ramanujan Type Formulae

Abstract

In a well-known 1914 paper, Ramanujan gave a number of rapidly converging series for $1/\pi$ which are derived using modular functions of higher level. D. V. and G. V. Chudnovsky in their 1988 paper derived an analogous series representing $1/\pi$ using the modular function $J$ of level 1, which results in highly convergent series for $1/\pi$, often used in practice. In this paper, we explain the Chudnovsky method in the context of elliptic curves, modular curves, and the Picard-Fuchs differential equation. In doing so, we also generalize their method to produce formulae which are valid around any singular point of the Picard-Fuchs differential equation. Applying the method to the family of elliptic curves parameterized by the absolute Klein invariant $J$ of level 1, we determine all Chudnovsky-Ramanujan type formulae which are valid around one of the three singular points: $0, 1, \infty$.