TITLE: Closed form for integral $\int_{0}^{\pi} \left[1 - r \cos\left(\phi\right)\right]^{-n} \phi \,{\rm d}\phi$
QUESTION [20 upvotes]: Is there a closed form for $$I_n =\int_{0}^{\pi} \frac{\phi}{(1 - r \cos\phi)^n} \,{\rm d}\phi $$ for $\left\vert\,r\,\right\vert < 1$ real and $n > 0$
integer ?
The solution to this integral would give a closed form solution for this integral, which describes the interaction energy of vector resonant relaxation in astrophysical dynamics.
Using Mathematica and analytic methods I have derived the following result for $n=\{1,2,3,4,5,6\}$: 
$$\tag{1} I_n = -\frac{a_n r}{s^{2n-2}} + \frac{b_n}{s^{2n-1}}\left[\chi_2(q) +\left(-\frac{c_n}{b_n}s + {\rm arctanh}(q) \right){\rm arctanh}(r) \right]$$
where $s=\sqrt{1-r^2}$, $q=\sqrt{(1-r)/(1+r)}$, $\chi_2(x)$ is the Legendre chi function, $a_n$, $b_n$, and $c_n$ are constants given by 
\begin{align}
a_1 &= 0, \quad b_1 = 4, \qquad c_1 = 0,\\
a_2 &= 0, \quad b_2 = 4, \qquad c_2 = 2,\\
a_3 &= 1, \quad b_3 = 4 + 2r^2, \qquad c_3 = 3,\\
a_4 &= \frac{7}{3}, \quad b_4 = 4 + 6r^2, \qquad c_4= \frac{11}{3} + \frac{4}{3}r^2,\\
a_5 &= \frac{23}{6}+\frac{11}{12}r^2, \quad b_5 = 4 + 12 r^2 + \frac{3}{2}r^4, 
\qquad c_5=\frac{25}{6} + \frac{55}{12}r^2,\\
a_6 &=\frac{163}{30} + \frac{47}{12}r^2, \quad b_6 = 4 + 20 r^2 + \frac{15}{2}r^4, 
\qquad c_6=\frac{137}{30} + \frac{607}{60}r^2 + \frac{16}{15}r^4.
\end{align}
Is the integral $I_n$ in the general closed form given by (1) for all $n$? If so, what are the constants $a_n$, $b_n$, and $c_n$?

REPLY [3 votes]: Not a full answer, but maybe interesting:
$I_{n}(r)$ obeys a recursion relation:
$$
I_{n+1}(r)=I_{n}(r)+\frac{r}{n} \frac{\partial}{\partial r}I_{n}(r)
$$
A large $n$ approximation is:
$$
I_{n}(r)\stackrel{n \rightarrow \infty}{\sim} \int_{0}^{\pi}\phi \exp(n\, r \cos \phi)\mathrm{d}\phi,
$$
which shows that for large $n$ the integral depends only on the product $n\,r$. Interestingly, also the approximation seems not to be solvable in closed form.
For the approximation I used:
$$
\left(1 - \frac{z}{n}\right)^{n} \stackrel{n \rightarrow \infty}{\sim} e^{- z}
$$