TITLE: Evaluating a series to order "three halves"
QUESTION [10 upvotes]: In doing some calculations related to one-dimensional Brownian Motion confined to a finite interval, I have come across functions such as

$$
f(t) = \sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{\exp(-n^2t)}{n^4}.
$$
  I am interested in the behavior of this function for small $t$. By expanding the exponential it is easy to get the terms of order 0 and 1 in $t$. However, the term of order $t^2$ diverges. I take this to mean that $f(t)$ does not have a second derivative at $t = 0$. I think (although I'm not sure) that in some sense there is a "3/2" order term. How does one define and calculate this term? Perhaps the limit
  $$
\lim_{t \to 0}\frac{f(t) - f(0) - t f'(0)}{t^{3/2}}
$$
  is finite and can be calculated? Is there an unambiguous way of expanding such functions in power series with fractional powers?

Background:
Consider a particle undergoing one-dimensional Brownian Motion in the interval $\left[0,L\right]$ with reflecting boundary conditions. The particle has diffusion coefficient $D$ and its position is $x(t)$. Its initial position is distributed uniformly in the interval. Then one can show that the mean squared displacement at time $t$ is
$$
\text{MSD}(t) \equiv \langle \left[x(t) - x(0)\right]^2\rangle =  \frac{L^2}{6} + \frac{8 L^2}{\pi^4}\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{-1 + (-1)^n}{n^4} \cdot \exp(-t/\tau_n),
$$
where
$$
\tau_n = \frac{L^2}{n^2 \pi^2 D}
$$
As I mentioned, one can calculate this up to first order in $t$. The constant term is of course zero (the particle can't travel any distance in zero time) and the first order term turns out to be $2 D t$, which makes sense since this is the MSD of a free particle (i.e. before it encounters any walls).
Further Notes
Here is a plot of the function $f(t)$ given by the series, as well as the approximations from Marko Riedel's answer:

REPLY [5 votes]: It  seems to have  escaped attention  that this  sum may  be evaluated
using  harmonic  summation  techniques  which can  be  an  instructive
exercise.
Introduce $S(x)%$ given by
$$S(x) = \sum_{n\ge 1} \frac{1}{n^4}\exp(-(nx)^2).$$
The sum term is harmonic and  may be evaluated by inverting its Mellin
transform.
Recall the harmonic sum identity
$$\mathfrak{M}\left(\sum_{k\ge 1} \lambda_k g(\mu_k x);s\right) =
\left(\sum_{k\ge 1} \frac{\lambda_k}{\mu_k^s} \right) g^*(s)$$
where $g^*(s)$ is the Mellin transform of $g(x).$
In the present case we have
$$\lambda_k = \frac{1}{k^4}, \quad \mu_k = k 
\quad \text{and} \quad
g(x) = \exp(-x^2).$$
We need the Mellin transform $g^*(s)$ of $g(x)$, which is

$$\int_0^\infty e^{-x^2} x^{s-1} dx
= \int_0^\infty e^{-t} t^{s/2-1/2} \frac{1}{2} t^{-1/2} dt
\\ =  \frac{1}{2} \int_0^\infty e^{-t} t^{s/2-1} dt
= \frac{1}{2} \Gamma(s/2).$$
It follows that the Mellin transform $Q(s)$ of the harmonic sum 
$S(x)$ is given by
$$Q(s) = \frac{1}{2} \Gamma(s/2) \zeta(s+4)
\quad\text{because}\quad
\sum_{k\ge 1} \frac{\lambda_k}{\mu_k^s} = 
\sum_{k\ge 1} \frac{1}{k^4} \frac{1}{k^s}
= \zeta(s+4)$$
for $\Re(s) > -3.$
The  fundamental  strip of  the  transform  of  the base  function  is
$\langle 0,  \infty \rangle$ and  intersecting this with  $\langle -3,
\infty\rangle$ we obtain that the Mellin inversion integral here is
$$\frac{1}{2\pi i} \int_{1/2-i\infty}^{1/2+i\infty} Q(s)/x^s ds$$
which we evaluate  by shifting it to the left  for an expansion about
zero.

Fortunately the poles of the gamma function term at even integers $\le
-6$ are cancelled  by the trivial zeros of the  zeta function, so that
just four  poles remain: $s=0,  s=-2$ from the gamma  function, $s=-3$
from the zeta function and again $s=-4$ from the gamma function.

We have
$$\mathrm{Res}\left(Q(s)/x^s; s=0\right) = 
\frac{1}{2} \times 2 \times \zeta(4) = \frac{\pi^4}{90},$$
and
$$\mathrm{Res}\left(Q(s)/x^s; s=-2\right) = 
\frac{1}{2} \times (-2) \times \zeta(2) \times x^2 = - \frac{\pi^2}{6} x^2,$$
and
$$\mathrm{Res}\left(Q(s)/x^s; s=-3\right) = 
\frac{1}{2} \times \frac{4}{3}\sqrt{\pi} \times x^3
= \frac{2}{3}\sqrt{\pi} x^3$$
and finally
$$\mathrm{Res}\left(Q(s)/x^s; s=-4\right) = 
\frac{1}{2} \times 1 \times \zeta(0) \times x^4
= - \frac{1}{4} x^4.$$

This gives the following expansion in a neighborhood of zero:
$$S(x) \sim
\frac{\pi^4}{90} - \frac{\pi^2}{6} x^2 + 
\frac{2}{3}\sqrt{\pi} x^3 - \frac{1}{4} x^4.$$
Since the sum being asked for is actually $S(\sqrt{t})$ we obtain
$$S(\sqrt{t}) \sim
\frac{\pi^4}{90} - \frac{\pi^2}{6} t + 
\frac{2}{3}\sqrt{\pi} t\sqrt{t} - \frac{1}{4} t^2.$$
This answer matches the results from the earlier posts, which deserve the credit, with this contribution being enrichment only.