# A Laplace Transform Proof of $$\mathrm{B}(x,y) = \frac{\Gamma(x)\Gamma(y)}{\Gamma(x+y)}$$

This proof appeared in Irresistible Integrals: Symbolics, Analysis and Experiments in the Evaluation of Integrals by George Boros and Victor Moll. Here, I fill in the steps of the proof.

We begin with 3 fundamental results of the Laplace transform: the basic definition, convolution, and the Laplace transform of a convolution.

\mathcal{L}[f(t)](s) = \int\limits_{0}^{\infty} \mathrm{e}^{-st} f(t) \mathrm{d} t
\label{eq:1608061}
\tag{1}

(f*g)(t) = \int\limits_{0}^{t} f(\tau) g(t-\tau) \mathrm{d} \tau
\label{eq:1608062}
\tag{2}

\mathcal{L}[f*g] = \mathcal{L}[f]\mathcal{L}[g]
\label{eq:1608063}
\tag{3}

We begin with the following two functions

\label{eq:1608064}
\tag{4}

These functions were chosen for two reasons. First, they appear in the basic integral definition of the beta function

\mathrm{B}(x,y) = \int\limits_{0}^{1} t^{x-1} (1-t)^{y-1} \mathrm{d} t
\label{eq:1608065}
\tag{5}

and, as we now show, their Laplace transforms result in gamma functions
\begin{align}
\mathcal{L}[f(t)] & = \mathcal{L}[t^{x-1}] = \int\limits_{0}^{\infty} \mathrm{e}^{-st} t^{x-1} \mathrm{d} t \\
& = \frac{1}{s^{x}} \int\limits_{0}^{\infty} \mathrm{e}^{-v} v^{x-1} \mathrm{d} v \\
& = \frac{\Gamma(x)}{s^{x}}
\label{eq:1608066}
\tag{6}
\end{align}
where we have used the substitution $$v = st$$. Likewise, taking the Laplace transform of $$g(t)$$ yields,

\mathcal{L}[g(t)] = \mathcal{L}[t^{y-1}] = \frac{\Gamma(y)}{s^{y}}
\label{eq:1608067}
\tag{7}

Now we substitute equations \eqref{eq:1608067}, \eqref{eq:1608066}, and \eqref{eq:1608062} into \eqref{eq:1608063}

\frac{\Gamma(x)}{s^{x}} \frac{\Gamma(y)}{s^{y}} = \mathcal{L}\left[\int\limits_{0}^{t} \tau^{x-1} (t – \tau)^{y-1} \mathrm{d} \tau \right]
\label{eq:1608068}
\tag{8}

To evaluate the integral, we let $$\tau = tu$$
\begin{align}
\int\limits_{0}^{t} \tau^{x-1} (t – \tau)^{y-1} \mathrm{d} \tau & = t^{x+y-1} \int\limits_{0}^{1} u^{x-1} (1 – u)^{y-1} \mathrm{d} u \\
& = t^{x+y-1} \mathrm{B}(x,y)
\label{eq:1608069}
\tag{9}
\end{align}

Thus, we have
\begin{align}
\mathcal{L}[t^{x+y-1} \mathrm{B}(x,y)] & = \frac{\Gamma(x)}{s^{x}} \frac{\Gamma(y)}{s^{y}} \\
& = \mathrm{B}(x,y) \int\limits_{0}^{\infty} \mathrm{e}^{-st} t^{x+y-1} \mathrm{d} t \\
& = \mathrm{B}(x,y) \frac{1}{s^{x+y}} \int\limits_{0}^{\infty} \mathrm{e}^{-v} v^{x+y-1} \mathrm{d} v \\
& = \mathrm{B}(x,y) \frac{\Gamma(x+y)}{s^{x+y}}
\label{eq:16080610}
\tag{10}
\end{align}

Combining the first and last results from the right hand side of the above equation yields our final result

\mathrm{B}(x,y) = \frac{\Gamma(x)\Gamma(y)}{\Gamma(x+y)}