Lambert W function
In mathematics, the Lambert W function, also called the omega function or product logarithm, is a multivalued function, namely the branches of the converse relation of the function f(w) = wew, where w is any complex number and ew is the exponential function. For each integer k there is one branch, denoted by Wk(z), which is a complex-valued function of one complex argument. W0 is known as the principal branch. These functions have the following property: if z and w are any complex numbers, then holds if and only if When dealing with real numbers only, the two branches W0 and W−1 suffice: for real numbers x and y the equation can be solved for y only if x ≥ −1/e; we get y = W0(x) if x ≥ 0 and the two values y = W0(x) and y = W−1(x) if −1/e ≤ x < 0. The Lambert W relation cannot be expressed in terms of elementary functions. It is useful in combinatorics, for instance, in the enumeration of trees. It can be used to solve various equations involving exponentials (e.g. the maxima of the Planck, Bose–Einstein, and Fermi–Dirac distributions) and also occurs in the solution of delay differential equations, such as y′(t) = a y(t − 1). In biochemistry, and in particular enzyme kinetics, an opened-form solution for the time-course kinetics analysis of Michaelis–Menten kinetics is described in terms of the Lambert W function. (Wikipedia).
