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The Riemann zeta function or Euler–Riemann zeta function, denoted by the
Greek letter The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BC. It was derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and is the earliest known alphabetic script to systematically write vowels as wel ...
(
zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; , , classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
), is a
mathematical function In mathematics, a function from a set (mathematics), set to a set assigns to each element of exactly one element of .; the words ''map'', ''mapping'', ''transformation'', ''correspondence'', and ''operator'' are sometimes used synonymously. ...
of a complex variable defined as \zeta(s) = \sum_^\infty \frac = \frac + \frac + \frac + \cdots for and its
analytic continuation In complex analysis, a branch of mathematics, analytic continuation is a technique to extend the domain of definition of a given analytic function. Analytic continuation often succeeds in defining further values of a function, for example in a ne ...
elsewhere. The Riemann zeta function plays a pivotal role in
analytic number theory In mathematics, analytic number theory is a branch of number theory that uses methods from mathematical analysis to solve problems about the integers. It is often said to have begun with Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet's 1837 introduction of Dir ...
and has applications in
physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
,
probability theory Probability theory or probability calculus is the branch of mathematics concerned with probability. Although there are several different probability interpretations, probability theory treats the concept in a rigorous mathematical manner by expre ...
, and applied
statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...
.
Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler ( ; ; ; 15 April 170718 September 1783) was a Swiss polymath who was active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, logician, geographer, and engineer. He founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made influential ...
first introduced and studied the function over the reals in the first half of the eighteenth century.
Bernhard Riemann Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann (; ; 17September 182620July 1866) was a German mathematician who made profound contributions to analysis, number theory, and differential geometry. In the field of real analysis, he is mostly known for the f ...
's 1859 article "
On the Number of Primes Less Than a Given Magnitude " die Anzahl der Primzahlen unter einer gegebenen " (usual English translation: "On the Number of Primes Less Than a Given Magnitude") is a seminal 9-page paper by Bernhard Riemann published in the November 1859 edition of the ''Monatsberichte ...
" extended the Euler definition to a
complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
variable, proved its meromorphic continuation and functional equation, and established a relation between its zeros and the distribution of prime numbers. This paper also contained the
Riemann hypothesis In mathematics, the Riemann hypothesis is the conjecture that the Riemann zeta function has its zeros only at the negative even integers and complex numbers with real part . Many consider it to be the most important unsolved problem in pure ...
, a
conjecture In mathematics, a conjecture is a conclusion or a proposition that is proffered on a tentative basis without proof. Some conjectures, such as the Riemann hypothesis or Fermat's conjecture (now a theorem, proven in 1995 by Andrew Wiles), ha ...
about the distribution of complex zeros of the Riemann zeta function that many mathematicians consider the most important unsolved problem in
pure mathematics Pure mathematics is the study of mathematical concepts independently of any application outside mathematics. These concepts may originate in real-world concerns, and the results obtained may later turn out to be useful for practical applications ...
. The values of the Riemann zeta function at even positive integers were computed by Euler. The first of them, , provides a solution to the
Basel problem The Basel problem is a problem in mathematical analysis with relevance to number theory, concerning an infinite sum of inverse squares. It was first posed by Pietro Mengoli in 1650 and solved by Leonhard Euler in 1734, and read on 5 December 1735 ...
. In 1979 Roger Apéry proved the irrationality of . The values at negative integer points, also found by Euler, are
rational number In mathematics, a rational number is a number that can be expressed as the quotient or fraction of two integers, a numerator and a non-zero denominator . For example, is a rational number, as is every integer (for example, The set of all ...
s and play an important role in the theory of
modular form In mathematics, a modular form is a holomorphic function on the complex upper half-plane, \mathcal, that roughly satisfies a functional equation with respect to the group action of the modular group and a growth condition. The theory of modul ...
s. Many generalizations of the Riemann zeta function, such as
Dirichlet series In mathematics, a Dirichlet series is any series of the form \sum_^\infty \frac, where ''s'' is complex, and a_n is a complex sequence. It is a special case of general Dirichlet series. Dirichlet series play a variety of important roles in anal ...
, Dirichlet -functions and -functions, are known.


Definition

The Riemann zeta function is a function of a complex variable , where and are real numbers. (The notation , , and is used traditionally in the study of the zeta function, following Riemann.) When , the function can be written as a converging summation or as an integral: :\zeta(s) =\sum_^\infty\frac = \frac \int_0^\infty \frac \, \mathrmx\,, where :\Gamma(s) = \int_0^\infty x^\,e^ \, \mathrmx is the
gamma function In mathematics, the gamma function (represented by Γ, capital Greek alphabet, Greek letter gamma) is the most common extension of the factorial function to complex numbers. Derived by Daniel Bernoulli, the gamma function \Gamma(z) is defined ...
. The Riemann zeta function is defined for other complex values via
analytic continuation In complex analysis, a branch of mathematics, analytic continuation is a technique to extend the domain of definition of a given analytic function. Analytic continuation often succeeds in defining further values of a function, for example in a ne ...
of the function defined for .
Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler ( ; ; ; 15 April 170718 September 1783) was a Swiss polymath who was active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, logician, geographer, and engineer. He founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made influential ...
considered the above series in 1740 for positive integer values of , and later Chebyshev extended the definition to \operatorname(s) > 1. The above series is a prototypical
Dirichlet series In mathematics, a Dirichlet series is any series of the form \sum_^\infty \frac, where ''s'' is complex, and a_n is a complex sequence. It is a special case of general Dirichlet series. Dirichlet series play a variety of important roles in anal ...
that converges absolutely to an
analytic function In mathematics, an analytic function is a function that is locally given by a convergent power series. There exist both real analytic functions and complex analytic functions. Functions of each type are infinitely differentiable, but complex ...
for such that and diverges for all other values of . Riemann showed that the function defined by the series on the half-plane of convergence can be continued analytically to all complex values . For , the series is the harmonic series which diverges to , and \lim_ (s - 1)\zeta(s) = 1. Thus the Riemann zeta function is a
meromorphic function In the mathematical field of complex analysis, a meromorphic function on an open subset ''D'' of the complex plane is a function that is holomorphic on all of ''D'' ''except'' for a set of isolated points, which are ''poles'' of the function. ...
on the whole complex plane, which is holomorphic everywhere except for a simple pole at with residue .


Euler's product formula

In 1737, the connection between the zeta function and
prime number A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a Product (mathematics), product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime ...
s was discovered by Euler, who proved the identity :\sum_^\infty\frac = \prod_ \frac, where, by definition, the left hand side is and the infinite product on the right hand side extends over all prime numbers (such expressions are called
Euler product In number theory, an Euler product is an expansion of a Dirichlet series into an infinite product indexed by prime numbers. The original such product was given for the sum of all positive integers raised to a certain power as proven by Leonhard E ...
s): :\prod_ \frac = \frac\cdot\frac\cdot\frac\cdot\frac\cdot\frac \cdots \frac \cdots Both sides of the Euler product formula converge for . The proof of Euler's identity uses only the formula for the
geometric series In mathematics, a geometric series is a series (mathematics), series summing the terms of an infinite geometric sequence, in which the ratio of consecutive terms is constant. For example, 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + ⋯, the series \tfrac12 + \tfrac1 ...
and the
fundamental theorem of arithmetic In mathematics, the fundamental theorem of arithmetic, also called the unique factorization theorem and prime factorization theorem, states that every integer greater than 1 is prime or can be represented uniquely as a product of prime numbers, ...
. Since the harmonic series, obtained when , diverges, Euler's formula (which becomes ) implies that there are infinitely many primes. Since the logarithm of is approximately , the formula can also be used to prove the stronger result that the sum of the reciprocals of the primes is infinite. On the other hand, combining that with the
sieve of Eratosthenes In mathematics, the sieve of Eratosthenes is an ancient algorithm for finding all prime numbers up to any given limit. It does so by iteratively marking as composite number, composite (i.e., not prime) the multiples of each prime, starting with ...
shows that the density of the set of primes within the set of positive integers is zero. The Euler product formula can be used to calculate the asymptotic probability that randomly selected integers are set-wise
coprime In number theory, two integers and are coprime, relatively prime or mutually prime if the only positive integer that is a divisor of both of them is 1. Consequently, any prime number that divides does not divide , and vice versa. This is equiv ...
. Intuitively, the probability that any single number is divisible by a prime (or any integer) is . Hence the probability that numbers are all divisible by this prime is , and the probability that at least one of them is ''not'' is . Now, for distinct primes, these divisibility events are mutually independent because the candidate divisors are coprime (a number is divisible by coprime divisors and
if and only if In logic and related fields such as mathematics and philosophy, "if and only if" (often shortened as "iff") is paraphrased by the biconditional, a logical connective between statements. The biconditional is true in two cases, where either bo ...
it is divisible by , an event which occurs with probability ). Thus the asymptotic probability that numbers are coprime is given by a product over all primes, : \prod_ \left(1-\frac\right) = \left( \prod_ \frac \right)^ = \frac.


Riemann's functional equation

This zeta function satisfies the functional equation \zeta(s) = 2^s \pi^\ \sin\left( \frac \right)\ \Gamma(1-s)\ \zeta(1-s)\ , where is the
gamma function In mathematics, the gamma function (represented by Γ, capital Greek alphabet, Greek letter gamma) is the most common extension of the factorial function to complex numbers. Derived by Daniel Bernoulli, the gamma function \Gamma(z) is defined ...
. This is an equality of meromorphic functions valid on the whole
complex plane In mathematics, the complex plane is the plane (geometry), plane formed by the complex numbers, with a Cartesian coordinate system such that the horizontal -axis, called the real axis, is formed by the real numbers, and the vertical -axis, call ...
. The equation relates values of the Riemann zeta function at the points and , in particular relating even positive integers with odd negative integers. Owing to the zeros of the sine function, the functional equation implies that has a simple zero at each even negative integer , known as the trivial zeros of . When is an even positive integer, the product on the right is non-zero because has a simple pole, which cancels the simple zero of the sine factor. A proof of the functional equation proceeds as follows: We observe that if \ s > 0\ , then \int_0^\infty x^ e^\ \operatorname x\ =\ \frac ~. As a result, if \ s > 1\ then \frac\ =\ \sum_^\infty\ \int_0^\infty\ x^\ e^\ \operatorname x\ =\ \int_0^\infty x^ \sum_^\infty e^\ \operatorname x\ , with the inversion of the limiting processes justified by absolute convergence (hence the stricter requirement on s). For convenience, let \psi(x)\ := \ \sum_^\infty\ e^ which is a special case of the
theta function In mathematics, theta functions are special functions of several complex variables. They show up in many topics, including Abelian varieties, moduli spaces, quadratic forms, and solitons. Theta functions are parametrized by points in a tube ...
. Because e^ and \frac1\sqrt e^ are Fourier transform pairs, then, by the
Poisson summation formula In mathematics, the Poisson summation formula is an equation that relates the Fourier series coefficients of the periodic summation of a function (mathematics), function to values of the function's continuous Fourier transform. Consequently, the pe ...
, we have \sum_^\infty\ e^\ =\ \frac\ \sum_^\infty\ e^\ , so that \ 2\ \psi(x) + 1\ =\ \frac \left(\ 2\ \psi\!\left( \frac \right) + 1\ \right) ~. Hence \pi^\ \Gamma\!\left( \frac \right)\ \zeta(s)\ =\ \int_0^1\ x^\ \psi(x)\ \operatorname x + \int_1^\infty x^ \psi(x)\ \operatorname x ~. The right side is equivalent to \int_0^1 x^ \left( \frac\ \psi\!\left( \frac \right) + \frac - \frac\ \right) \ \operatorname x + \int_1^\infty x^ \psi(x)\ \operatorname x or \frac - \frac + \int_0^1\ x^\ \psi\!\left( \frac \right)\ \operatorname x + \int_1^\infty\ x^\ \psi(x)\ \operatorname x ~. So \pi^\ \Gamma\!\left( \frac \right)\ \zeta(s)\ =\ \frac + \int_1^\infty\ \left( x^ + x^ \right)\ \psi(x)\ \operatorname x which is convergent for all , because \psi(x)\to0 quicker than any power of for x>1, so the integral converges. As the RHS remains the same if is replaced by , \frac\ =\ \frac which is the functional equation attributed to
Bernhard Riemann Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann (; ; 17September 182620July 1866) was a German mathematician who made profound contributions to analysis, number theory, and differential geometry. In the field of real analysis, he is mostly known for the f ...
. The functional equation above can be obtained using both the reflection formula and the duplication formula. First collect terms of \pi: \Gamma\left(\frac\right)\zeta\left(s\right) = \Gamma\left(\frac - \frac\right)\zeta\left(1 - s\right)\pi^ Then multiply both sides by \Gamma\left(1-\frac s2\right) and use the reflection formula: \Gamma\left(1-\frac s2\right)\Gamma\left(\frac\right)\zeta\left(s\right) = \Gamma\left(1-\frac s2\right)\Gamma\left(\frac - \frac\right)\zeta\left(1 - s\right)\pi^ \zeta\left(s\right) = \sin\left(\frac2\right)\Gamma\left(1-\frac s2\right)\Gamma\left(\frac - \frac\right)\zeta\left(1 - s\right)\pi^ Use the duplication formula with z=\frac - \frac \zeta\left(s\right) = \sin\left(\frac2\right)2^\sqrt\Gamma\left(1-s\right)\zeta\left(1 - s\right)\pi^ so that \zeta\left(s\right) = \sin\left(\frac2\right)2^s\Gamma\left(1-s\right)\zeta\left(1 - s\right)\pi^ The functional equation was established by Riemann in his 1859 paper "
On the Number of Primes Less Than a Given Magnitude " die Anzahl der Primzahlen unter einer gegebenen " (usual English translation: "On the Number of Primes Less Than a Given Magnitude") is a seminal 9-page paper by Bernhard Riemann published in the November 1859 edition of the ''Monatsberichte ...
" and used to construct the analytic continuation in the first place.


Riemann's Xi function

Riemann also found a
symmetric Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is invariant under some transformations ...
version of the functional equation by setting \xi(s) =\frac \times \pi^\Gamma\left( \frac \right)\zeta(s) = (s-1)\pi^\Gamma\left(\frac+1\right)\zeta(s)\ , which satisfies: \xi(s) = \xi(1 - s) ~. Returning to the functional equation's derivation in the previous section, we have \xi(s) =\frac12 + \frac \int_1^\infty \left(x^ + x^\right)\psi(x) dx Using
integration by parts In calculus, and more generally in mathematical analysis, integration by parts or partial integration is a process that finds the integral of a product of functions in terms of the integral of the product of their derivative and antiderivati ...
, \xi(s) =\frac12 - \left left(sx^ + (1-s)x^\right)\psi(x)\right1^\infty + \int_1^\infty \left(sx^ + (1-s)x^\right)\psi'(x) dx \xi(s) =\frac12 + \psi(1) + \int_1^\infty \left(sx^ + (1-s)x^\right)\psi'(x) dx Using integration by parts again with a factorization of x^, \xi(s) =\frac12 + \psi(1) - 2\left ^\psi'(x)\left(x^ + x^\right)\right1^\infty + 2\int_1^\infty \left(x^ + x^\right)\frac\left ^\psi'(x)\rightdx \xi(s) =\frac12 +\psi(1) + 4\psi'(1) + 2\int_1^\infty \frac\left ^\psi'(x)\rightleft(x^ + x^\right) dx As \frac12 +\psi(1) + 4\psi'(1)=0, \xi(s) = 2\int_1^\infty \frac\left ^\psi'(x)\rightleft(x^ + x^\right) dx Remove a factor of x^ to make the exponents in the remainder opposites. \xi(s) = 2\int_1^\infty \frac\left ^\psi'(x)\right^\left(x^ + x^\right) dx Using the
hyperbolic functions In mathematics, hyperbolic functions are analogues of the ordinary trigonometric functions, but defined using the hyperbola rather than the circle. Just as the points form a circle with a unit radius, the points form the right half of the u ...
, namely \cos(x)=\cosh(ix)=\frac, and letting s=\frac12+it gives \xi(s) = 4\int_1^\infty \frac\left ^\psi'(x)\right^\cos(\frac2\log x) dx and by separating the integral and using the
power series In mathematics, a power series (in one variable) is an infinite series of the form \sum_^\infty a_n \left(x - c\right)^n = a_0 + a_1 (x - c) + a_2 (x - c)^2 + \dots where ''a_n'' represents the coefficient of the ''n''th term and ''c'' is a co ...
for \cos, \xi(s) = \sum_^\infty a_t^ which led Riemann to his famous hypothesis.


Zeros, the critical line, and the Riemann hypothesis

The functional equation shows that the Riemann zeta function has zeros at . These are called the trivial zeros. They are trivial in the sense that their existence is relatively easy to prove, for example, from being 0 in the functional equation. The non-trivial zeros have captured far more attention because their distribution not only is far less understood but, more importantly, their study yields important results concerning prime numbers and related objects in number theory. It is known that any non-trivial zero lies in the open strip \, which is called the critical strip. The set \ is called the critical line. The
Riemann hypothesis In mathematics, the Riemann hypothesis is the conjecture that the Riemann zeta function has its zeros only at the negative even integers and complex numbers with real part . Many consider it to be the most important unsolved problem in pure ...
, considered one of the greatest unsolved problems in mathematics, asserts that all non-trivial zeros are on the critical line. In 1989, Conrey proved that more than 40% of the non-trivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function are on the critical line. This has since been improved to 41.7%. For the Riemann zeta function on the critical line, see -function.


Number of zeros in the critical strip

Let N(T) be the number of zeros of \zeta(s) in the critical strip 0 < \operatorname(s) < 1, whose imaginary parts are in the interval 0 < \operatorname(s) < T. Timothy Trudgian proved that, if T > e, then : \left, N(T) - \frac \log\ \leq 0.112 \log T + 0.278 \log\log T + 3.385 + \frac.


The Hardy–Littlewood conjectures

In 1914,
G. H. Hardy Godfrey Harold Hardy (7 February 1877 – 1 December 1947) was an English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis. In biology, he is known for the Hardy–Weinberg principle, a basic principle of pop ...
proved that has infinitely many real zeros. Hardy and J. E. Littlewood formulated two conjectures on the density and distance between the zeros of on intervals of large positive real numbers. In the following, is the total number of real zeros and the total number of zeros of odd order of the function lying in the interval . These two conjectures opened up new directions in the investigation of the Riemann zeta function.


Zero-free region

The location of the Riemann zeta function's zeros is of great importance in number theory. The
prime number theorem In mathematics, the prime number theorem (PNT) describes the asymptotic analysis, asymptotic distribution of the prime numbers among the positive integers. It formalizes the intuitive idea that primes become less common as they become larger by p ...
is equivalent to the fact that there are no zeros of the zeta function on the line. It is also known that zeros do not exist in certain regions slightly to the left of the line, known as zero-free regions. For instance, Korobov and Vinogradov independently showed via the Vinogradov's mean-value theorem that for sufficiently large , t, , \zeta(\sigma + it) \neq 0 for :\sigma \geq 1 - \frac for any \varepsilon > 0 and a number c >0 depending on \varepsilon. Asymptotically, this is the largest known zero-free region for the zeta function. Explicit zero-free regions are also known. Platt and Trudgian verified computationally that \zeta(\sigma + it)\neq 0 if \sigma \neq 1/2 and , t, \leq 3\cdot 10^. Mossinghoff, Trudgian and Yang proved that zeta has no zeros in the region :\sigma\ge 1 - \frac for , which is the largest known zero-free region in the critical strip for 3\cdot 10^ < , t, < e^ \approx 7 \cdot 10^ (for previous results see). Yang showed that \zeta(\sigma+it)\neq 0 if :\sigma \geq 1 - \frac and , t, \geq 3 which is the largest known zero-free region for e^< , t, < e^. Bellotti proved (building on the work of Ford) the zero-free region :\sigma \ge 1 - \frac and , t, \ge 3. This is the largest known zero-free region for fixed , t, \geq \exp(4.8\cdot 10^). Bellotti also showed that for sufficiently large , t, , the following better result is known: \zeta(\sigma +it) \neq 0 for :\sigma \geq 1 - \frac. The strongest result of this kind one can hope for is the truth of the Riemann hypothesis, which would have many profound consequences in the theory of numbers.


Other results

It is known that there are infinitely many zeros on the critical line. Littlewood showed that if the sequence () contains the imaginary parts of all zeros in the
upper half-plane In mathematics, the upper half-plane, is the set of points in the Cartesian plane with The lower half-plane is the set of points with instead. Arbitrary oriented half-planes can be obtained via a planar rotation. Half-planes are an example ...
in ascending order, then :\lim_\left(\gamma_-\gamma_n\right)=0. The critical line theorem asserts that a positive proportion of the nontrivial zeros lies on the critical line. (The Riemann hypothesis would imply that this proportion is 1.) In the critical strip, the zero with smallest non-negative imaginary part is (). The fact that :\zeta(s)=\overline for all complex implies that the zeros of the Riemann zeta function are symmetric about the real axis. Combining this symmetry with the functional equation, furthermore, one sees that the non-trivial zeros are symmetric about the critical line . It is also known that no zeros lie on the line with real part 1.


Specific values

For any positive even integer , \zeta(2n) = \frac, where is the -th
Bernoulli number In mathematics, the Bernoulli numbers are a sequence of rational numbers which occur frequently in analysis. The Bernoulli numbers appear in (and can be defined by) the Taylor series expansions of the tangent and hyperbolic tangent function ...
. For odd positive integers, no such simple expression is known, although these values are thought to be related to the algebraic -theory of the integers; see Special values of -functions. For nonpositive integers, one has \zeta(-n)= -\frac for (using the convention that ). In particular, vanishes at the negative even integers because for all odd other than 1. These are the so-called "trivial zeros" of the zeta function. Via
analytic continuation In complex analysis, a branch of mathematics, analytic continuation is a technique to extend the domain of definition of a given analytic function. Analytic continuation often succeeds in defining further values of a function, for example in a ne ...
, one can show that \zeta(-1) = -\tfrac This gives a pretext for assigning a finite value to the divergent series
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ⋯ The infinite series whose terms are the positive integers is a divergent series. The ''n''th partial sum of the series is the triangular number \sum_^n k = \frac, which increases without bound as ''n'' goes to infinity. Because the sequence of ...
, which has been used in certain contexts ( Ramanujan summation) such as
string theory In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...
. Analogously, the particular value \zeta(0) = -\tfrac can be viewed as assigning a finite result to the divergent series 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + ⋯. The value \zeta\bigl(\tfrac12\bigr) = -1.46035450880958681288\ldots is employed in calculating kinetic boundary layer problems of linear kinetic equations. Although \zeta(1) = 1 + \tfrac + \tfrac + \cdots diverges, its Cauchy principal value \lim_ \frac exists and is equal to the
Euler–Mascheroni constant Euler's constant (sometimes called the Euler–Mascheroni constant) is a mathematical constant, usually denoted by the lowercase Greek letter gamma (), defined as the limiting difference between the harmonic series and the natural logarith ...
. The demonstration of the particular value \zeta(2) = 1 + \frac + \frac + \cdots = \frac is known as the
Basel problem The Basel problem is a problem in mathematical analysis with relevance to number theory, concerning an infinite sum of inverse squares. It was first posed by Pietro Mengoli in 1650 and solved by Leonhard Euler in 1734, and read on 5 December 1735 ...
. The reciprocal of this sum answers the question: ''What is the probability that two numbers selected at random are
relatively prime In number theory, two integers and are coprime, relatively prime or mutually prime if the only positive integer that is a divisor of both of them is 1. Consequently, any prime number that divides does not divide , and vice versa. This is equiv ...
?'' The value \zeta(3) = 1 + \frac + \frac + \cdots = 1.202056903159594285399... is Apéry's constant. Taking the limit s \rightarrow +\infty through the real numbers, one obtains \zeta (+\infty) = 1. But at complex infinity on the
Riemann sphere In mathematics, the Riemann sphere, named after Bernhard Riemann, is a Mathematical model, model of the extended complex plane (also called the closed complex plane): the complex plane plus one point at infinity. This extended plane represents ...
the zeta function has an essential singularity.


Various properties

For sums involving the zeta function at integer and half-integer values, see rational zeta series.


Reciprocal

The reciprocal of the zeta function may be expressed as a
Dirichlet series In mathematics, a Dirichlet series is any series of the form \sum_^\infty \frac, where ''s'' is complex, and a_n is a complex sequence. It is a special case of general Dirichlet series. Dirichlet series play a variety of important roles in anal ...
over the
Möbius function The Möbius function \mu(n) is a multiplicative function in number theory introduced by the German mathematician August Ferdinand Möbius (also transliterated ''Moebius'') in 1832. It is ubiquitous in elementary and analytic number theory and m ...
: :\frac = \sum_^\infty \frac for every complex number with real part greater than 1. There are a number of similar relations involving various well-known
multiplicative function In number theory, a multiplicative function is an arithmetic function f of a positive integer n with the property that f(1)=1 and f(ab) = f(a)f(b) whenever a and b are coprime. An arithmetic function is said to be completely multiplicative (o ...
s; these are given in the article on the
Dirichlet series In mathematics, a Dirichlet series is any series of the form \sum_^\infty \frac, where ''s'' is complex, and a_n is a complex sequence. It is a special case of general Dirichlet series. Dirichlet series play a variety of important roles in anal ...
. The Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to the claim that this expression is valid when the real part of is greater than .


Universality

The critical strip of the Riemann zeta function has the remarkable property of universality. This zeta function universality states that there exists some location on the critical strip that approximates any
holomorphic function In mathematics, a holomorphic function is a complex-valued function of one or more complex variables that is complex differentiable in a neighbourhood of each point in a domain in complex coordinate space . The existence of a complex de ...
arbitrarily well. Since holomorphic functions are very general, this property is quite remarkable. The first proof of universality was provided by Sergei Mikhailovitch Voronin in 1975. More recent work has included effective versions of Voronin's theorem and extending it to
Dirichlet L-function In mathematics, a Dirichlet L-series is a function of the form :L(s,\chi) = \sum_^\infty \frac. where \chi is a Dirichlet character and s a complex variable with real part greater than 1 . It is a special case of a Dirichlet series. By anal ...
s.


Estimates of the maximum of the modulus of the zeta function

Let the functions and be defined by the equalities : F(T;H) = \max_\left, \zeta\left(\tfrac+it\right)\,\qquad G(s_;\Delta) = \max_, \zeta(s), . Here is a sufficiently large positive number, , , , . Estimating the values and from below shows, how large (in modulus) values can take on short intervals of the critical line or in small neighborhoods of points lying in the critical strip . The case was studied by Kanakanahalli Ramachandra; the case , where is a sufficiently large constant, is trivial. Anatolii Karatsuba proved, in particular, that if the values and exceed certain sufficiently small constants, then the estimates : F(T;H) \ge T^,\qquad G(s_0; \Delta) \ge T^, hold, where and are certain absolute constants.


The argument of the Riemann zeta function

The function :S(t) = \frac\arg is called the
argument An argument is a series of sentences, statements, or propositions some of which are called premises and one is the conclusion. The purpose of an argument is to give reasons for one's conclusion via justification, explanation, and/or persu ...
of the Riemann zeta function. Here is the increment of an arbitrary continuous branch of along the broken line joining the points , and . There are some theorems on properties of the function . Among those results are the mean value theorems for and its first integral :S_1(t) = \int_0^t S(u) \, \mathrmu on intervals of the real line, and also the theorem claiming that every interval for :H \ge T^ contains at least : H\sqrt ^ points where the function changes sign. Earlier similar results were obtained by
Atle Selberg Atle Selberg (14 June 1917 – 6 August 2007) was a Norwegian mathematician known for his work in analytic number theory and the theory of automorphic forms, and in particular for bringing them into relation with spectral theory. He was awarded ...
for the case :H\ge T^.


Representations


Dirichlet series

An extension of the area of convergence can be obtained by rearranging the original series. The series :\zeta(s)=\frac\sum_^\infty \left(\frac-\frac\right) converges for , while :\zeta(s) =\frac\sum_^\infty\frac\left(\frac-\frac\right) converge even for . In this way, the area of convergence can be extended to for any negative integer . The recurrence connection is clearly visible from the expression valid for enabling further expansion by integration by parts. :\begin \zeta(s)= & 1+\frac-\frac zeta(s+1)-1\\ - & \frac zeta(s+2)-1\\ & -\frac \sum_^ \int_0^1 \frac \end


Mellin-type integrals

The Mellin transform of a function is defined as : \int_0^\infty f(x)x^s\, \frac in the region where the integral is defined. There are various expressions for the zeta function as Mellin transform-like integrals. If the real part of is greater than one, we have :\Gamma(s)\zeta(s) =\int_0^\infty\frac \,\mathrmx \quad and \quad\Gamma(s)\zeta(s) =\frac1\int_0^\infty\frac \,\mathrmx, where denotes the
gamma function In mathematics, the gamma function (represented by Γ, capital Greek alphabet, Greek letter gamma) is the most common extension of the factorial function to complex numbers. Derived by Daniel Bernoulli, the gamma function \Gamma(z) is defined ...
. By modifying the contour, Riemann showed that :2\sin(\pi s)\Gamma(s)\zeta(s) =i\oint_H \frac\,\mathrmx for all (where denotes the Hankel contour). We can also find expressions which relate to prime numbers and the
prime number theorem In mathematics, the prime number theorem (PNT) describes the asymptotic analysis, asymptotic distribution of the prime numbers among the positive integers. It formalizes the intuitive idea that primes become less common as they become larger by p ...
. If is the
prime-counting function In mathematics, the prime-counting function is the function counting the number of prime numbers less than or equal to some real number . It is denoted by (unrelated to the number ). A symmetric variant seen sometimes is , which is equal ...
, then :\ln \zeta(s) = s \int_0^\infty \frac\,\mathrmx, for values with . A similar Mellin transform involves the Riemann function , which counts prime powers with a weight of , so that : J(x) = \sum \frac. Now :\ln \zeta(s) = s\int_0^\infty J(x)x^\,\mathrmx. These expressions can be used to prove the prime number theorem by means of the inverse Mellin transform. Riemann's
prime-counting function In mathematics, the prime-counting function is the function counting the number of prime numbers less than or equal to some real number . It is denoted by (unrelated to the number ). A symmetric variant seen sometimes is , which is equal ...
is easier to work with, and can be recovered from it by Möbius inversion.


Theta functions

The Riemann zeta function can be given by a Mellin transform :2\pi^\Gamma\left(\frac\right)\zeta(s) = \int_0^\infty \bigl(\theta(it)-1\bigr)t^\,\mathrmt, in terms of Jacobi's theta function :\theta(\tau)= \sum_^\infty e^. However, this integral only converges if the real part of is greater than 1, but it can be regularized. This gives the following expression for the zeta function, which is well defined for all except 0 and 1: : \pi^\Gamma\left(\frac\right)\zeta(s) = \frac-\frac +\frac \int_0^1 \left(\theta(it)-t^\right)t^\,\mathrmt + \frac\int_1^\infty \bigl(\theta(it)-1\bigr)t^\,\mathrmt.


Laurent series

The Riemann zeta function is meromorphic with a single pole of order one at . It can therefore be expanded as a
Laurent series In mathematics, the Laurent series of a complex function f(z) is a representation of that function as a power series which includes terms of negative degree. It may be used to express complex functions in cases where a Taylor series expansio ...
about ; the series development is then :\zeta(s)=\frac+\sum_^\infty \frac(1-s)^n. The constants here are called the Stieltjes constants and can be defined by the limit : \gamma_n = \lim_. The constant term is the
Euler–Mascheroni constant Euler's constant (sometimes called the Euler–Mascheroni constant) is a mathematical constant, usually denoted by the lowercase Greek letter gamma (), defined as the limiting difference between the harmonic series and the natural logarith ...
.


Integral

For all , , the integral relation (cf. Abel–Plana formula) :\ \zeta(s)\ =\ \frac + \frac + 2 \int_0^ \frac\ \operatorname t\ holds true, which may be used for a numerical evaluation of the zeta function.


Rising factorial

Another series development using the rising factorial valid for the entire complex plane is :\zeta(s) = \frac - \sum_^\infty \bigl(\zeta(s+n)-1\bigr)\frac. This can be used recursively to extend the Dirichlet series definition to all complex numbers. The Riemann zeta function also appears in a form similar to the Mellin transform in an integral over the Gauss–Kuzmin–Wirsing operator acting on ; that context gives rise to a series expansion in terms of the
falling factorial In mathematics, the falling factorial (sometimes called the descending factorial, falling sequential product, or lower factorial) is defined as the polynomial \begin (x)_n = x^\underline &= \overbrace^ \\ &= \prod_^n(x-k+1) = \prod_^(x-k) . \end ...
.


Hadamard product

On the basis of Weierstrass's factorization theorem,
Hadamard Jacques Salomon Hadamard (; 8 December 1865 – 17 October 1963) was a French mathematician who made major contributions in number theory, complex analysis, differential geometry, and partial differential equations. Biography The son of a tea ...
gave the infinite product expansion :\zeta(s) = \frac \prod_\rho \left(1 - \frac \right) e^\frac, where the product is over the non-trivial zeros of and the letter again denotes the
Euler–Mascheroni constant Euler's constant (sometimes called the Euler–Mascheroni constant) is a mathematical constant, usually denoted by the lowercase Greek letter gamma (), defined as the limiting difference between the harmonic series and the natural logarith ...
. A simpler infinite product expansion is :\zeta(s) = \pi^\frac \frac. This form clearly displays the simple pole at , the trivial zeros at −2, −4, ... due to the gamma function term in the denominator, and the non-trivial zeros at . (To ensure convergence in the latter formula, the product should be taken over "matching pairs" of zeros, i.e. the factors for a pair of zeros of the form and should be combined.)


Globally convergent series

A globally convergent series for the zeta function, valid for all complex numbers except for some integer , was conjectured by Konrad Knopp in 1926 and proven by Helmut Hasse in 1930 (cf. Euler summation): :\zeta(s)=\frac \sum_^\infty \frac \sum_^n \binom \frac. The series appeared in an appendix to Hasse's paper, and was published for the second time by Jonathan Sondow in 1994. Hasse also proved the globally converging series :\zeta(s)=\frac 1\sum_^\infty \frac 1\sum_^n\binom \frac in the same publication. Research by Iaroslav Blagouchine has found that a similar, equivalent series was published by Joseph Ser in 1926. In 1997 K. Maślanka gave another globally convergent (except ) series for the Riemann zeta function: :\zeta (s)=\frac\sum_^\infty \biggl(\prod_^ (i-\frac)\biggl) \frac= \frac \sum_^\infty \biggl(1-\frac\biggl)_ \frac where real coefficients A_k are given by: :A_k=\sum_^(-1)^\binom(2j+1)\zeta (2j+2)=\sum_^\binom\frac Here B_ are the Bernoulli numbers and (x)_ denotes the Pochhammer symbol. Note that this representation of the zeta function is essentially an interpolation with nodes, where the nodes are points s=2,4,6,\ldots , i.e. exactly those where the zeta values are precisely known, as Euler showed. An elegant and very short proof of this representation of the zeta function, based on Carlson's theorem, was presented by Philippe Flajolet in 2006. The asymptotic behavior of the coefficients A_ is rather curious: for growing k values, we observe regular oscillations with a nearly exponentially decreasing amplitude and slowly decreasing frequency (roughly as k^). Using the saddle point method, we can show that :A_\sim \frac\exp \biggl( -\frac+\frac\biggl) \cos \biggl( \frac-\frac+\frac\biggl) where \kappa stands for: :\kappa :=\sqrt (see for details). On the basis of this representation, in 2003 Luis Báez-Duarte provided a new criterion for the Riemann hypothesis. Namely, if we define the coefficients c_ as :c_:=\sum_^(-1)^\binom\frac then the Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to :c_=\mathcal\biggl( k^\biggl) \qquad (\forall\varepsilon >0)


Rapidly convergent series

Peter Borwein developed an algorithm that applies Chebyshev polynomials to the Dirichlet eta function to produce a very rapidly convergent series suitable for high precision numerical calculations.


Series representation at positive integers via the primorial

: \zeta(k)=\frac+\sum_^\infty\frac\qquad k=2,3,\ldots. Here is the
primorial In mathematics, and more particularly in number theory, primorial, denoted by "", is a function from natural numbers to natural numbers similar to the factorial function, but rather than successively multiplying positive integers, the function ...
sequence and is Jordan's totient function.


Series representation by the incomplete poly-Bernoulli numbers

The function can be represented, for , by the infinite series :\zeta(s)=\sum_^\infty B_^\frac, where , is the th branch of the Lambert -function, and is an incomplete poly-Bernoulli number.


The Mellin transform of the Engel map

The function g(x) = x \left( 1+\left\lfloor x^\right\rfloor \right) -1 is iterated to find the coefficients appearing in
Engel expansion The Engel expansion of a positive real number ''x'' is the unique non-decreasing sequence of positive integers (a_1,a_2,a_3,\dots) such that :x=\frac+\frac+\frac+\cdots = \frac\!\left(1 + \frac\!\left(1 + \frac\left(1+\cdots\right)\right)\right) ...
s. The Mellin transform of the map g(x) is related to the Riemann zeta function by the formula : \begin \int_0^1 g (x) x^ \, dx & = \sum_^\infty \int_^ (x (n + 1) - 1) x^ \, d x\\ pt & = \sum_^\infty \frac\\ pt & = \frac - \frac \end


Thue-Morse sequence

Certain linear combinations of Dirichlet series whose coefficients are terms of the Thue-Morse sequence give rise to identities involving the Riemann Zeta function. For instance: : \begin \sum_ \frac &= 4 \zeta(2) = \frac, \\ \sum_ \frac &= 8 \zeta(3),\end where (t_n)_ is the n^ term of the Thue-Morse sequence. In fact, for all s with real part greater than 1, we have : (2^s+1) \sum_ \frac + (2^s-1) \sum_ \frac = 2^s \zeta(s).


Stochastic representations

The Brownian motion and Riemann zeta function are connected through the moment-generating functions of
stochastic process In probability theory and related fields, a stochastic () or random process is a mathematical object usually defined as a family of random variables in a probability space, where the index of the family often has the interpretation of time. Sto ...
es derived from the Brownian motion.


Numerical algorithms

A classical algorithm, in use prior to about 1930, proceeds by applying the Euler-Maclaurin formula to obtain, for ''n'' and ''m'' positive integers, :\zeta(s) = \sum_^j^ + \tfrac12 n^ + \frac + \sum_^m T_(s) + E_(s) where, letting B_ denote the indicated
Bernoulli number In mathematics, the Bernoulli numbers are a sequence of rational numbers which occur frequently in analysis. The Bernoulli numbers appear in (and can be defined by) the Taylor series expansions of the tangent and hyperbolic tangent function ...
, :T_(s) = \frac n^\prod_^(s+j) and the error satisfies :, E_(s), < \left, \fracT_(s)\, with ''σ'' = Re(''s''). A modern numerical algorithm is the Odlyzko–Schönhage algorithm.


Applications

The zeta function occurs in applied
statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...
including Zipf's law, Zipf–Mandelbrot law, and Lotka's law. Zeta function regularization is used as one possible means of regularization (physics), regularization of divergent series and divergent integrals in quantum field theory. In one notable example, the Riemann zeta function shows up explicitly in one method of calculating the Casimir effect. The zeta function is also useful for the analysis of dynamical systems.


Musical tuning

In the theory of musical tunings, the zeta function can be used to find Equal temperament, equal divisions of the octave (EDOs) that closely approximate the intervals of the Harmonic series (music), harmonic series. For increasing values of t \in \mathbb, the value of :\left\vert \zeta \left( \frac + \fract \right) \right\vert peaks near integers that correspond to such EDOs. Examples include popular choices such as 12, 19, and 53.


Infinite series

The zeta function evaluated at equidistant positive integers appears in infinite series representations of a number of constants.Most of the formulas in this section are from § 4 of J. M. Borwein et al. (2000) *\sum_^\infty\bigl(\zeta(n)-1\bigr) = 1 In fact the even and odd terms give the two sums *\sum_^\infty\bigl(\zeta(2n)-1\bigr)=\frac and *\sum_^\infty\bigl(\zeta(2n+1)-1\bigr)=\frac Parametrized versions of the above sums are given by *\sum_^\infty(\zeta(2n)-1)\,t^ = \frac + \frac \left(1- \pi t\cot(t\pi)\right) and *\sum_^\infty(\zeta(2n+1)-1)\,t^ = \frac -\frac\left(\psi^0(t)+\psi^0(-t) \right) - \gamma with , t, <2 and where \psi and \gamma are the polygamma function and Euler's constant, respectively, as well as *\sum_^\infty \frac\,t^ = \log\left(\dfrac\right) all of which are continuous at t=1. Other sums include *\sum_^\infty\frac = 1-\gamma *\sum_^\infty\frac = \ln 2 *\sum_^\infty\frac \left(\left(\tfrac\right)^-1\right) = \frac \ln \pi *\sum_^\infty\bigl(\zeta(4n)-1\bigr) = \frac78-\frac\left(\frac\right). *\sum_^\infty\frac\Im \bigl((1+i)^n-1-i^n\bigr) = \frac where \Im denotes the imaginary part of a complex number. Another interesting series that relates to the natural logarithm of the lemniscate constant is the following *\sum_^\infty\left[\frac-\frac \right]= \ln \left( \frac \right) There are yet more formulas in the article Harmonic number#Relation to the Riemann zeta function, Harmonic number.


Generalizations

There are a number of related zeta functions that can be considered to be generalizations of the Riemann zeta function. These include the Hurwitz zeta function :\zeta(s,q) = \sum_^\infty \frac (the convergent series representation was given by Helmut Hasse in 1930, cf. Hurwitz zeta function), which coincides with the Riemann zeta function when (the lower limit of summation in the Hurwitz zeta function is 0, not 1), the Dirichlet -functions and the Dedekind zeta function. For other related functions see the articles zeta function and L-function, -function. The polylogarithm is given by :\operatorname_s(z) = \sum_^\infty \frac which coincides with the Riemann zeta function when . The Clausen function can be chosen as the real or imaginary part of . The Lerch transcendent is given by :\Phi(z, s, q) = \sum_^\infty\frac which coincides with the Riemann zeta function when and (the lower limit of summation in the Lerch transcendent is 0, not 1). The multiple zeta functions are defined by :\zeta(s_1,s_2,\ldots,s_n) = \sum_ ^^\cdots ^. One can analytically continue these functions to the -dimensional complex space. The special values taken by these functions at positive integer arguments are called multiple zeta values by number theorists and have been connected to many different branches in mathematics and physics.


See also

*1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ··· *Arithmetic zeta function * Dirichlet eta function *Generalized Riemann hypothesis *Lehmer pair *Particular values of the Riemann zeta function *Prime zeta function *Renormalization *Riemann–Siegel theta function *ZetaGrid


References


Sources

* * * * * Has an English translation of Riemann's paper. * * * (Globally convergent series expression.) * * * * * * * Also available in * * * *


External links

* *
Riemann Zeta Function, in Wolfram Mathworld
— an explanation with a more mathematical approach
Tables of selected zeros

Prime Numbers Get Hitched
A general, non-technical description of the significance of the zeta function in relation to prime numbers.
X-Ray of the Zeta Function
Visually oriented investigation of where zeta is real or purely imaginary.
Formulas and identities for the Riemann Zeta function
functions.wolfram.com

section 23.2 of Abramowitz and Stegun *
Mellin transform and the functional equation of the Riemann Zeta function
��Computational examples of Mellin transform methods involving the Riemann Zeta Function
Visualizing the Riemann zeta function and analytic continuation
a video from 3Blue1Brown {{Authority control Zeta and L-functions Analytic number theory Meromorphic functions Articles containing video clips Bernhard Riemann