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Hurwitz zeta function
In mathematics, the Hurwitz zeta function is one of the many zeta functions. It defined as
When q = 1, this coincides with Riemann's zeta function.
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Relation to Dirichlet L-functions
Fixing an integer Q ≥ 1, the Dirichlet L-functions for characters modulo Q are linear combinations, with constant coefficients, of the ζ(s,q) where q = k/Q and k = 1, 2, ..., Q. This means that the Hurwitz zeta-functions for rational q have analytic properties that are closely related to that class of L-functions.
Specifically, let χ be a character mod Q. Then we can write the Dirichlet L-function as
.
Hurwitz's formula
Hurwitz's formula is the theorem that
where
is a representation of the zeta that is valid for
and s > 1. Here, Lis(z) is the polylogarithm.
Relation to Bernoulli polynomials
The function β defined above generalizes the Bernoulli polynomials:
where
denotes the real part of z. Alternately,
Relation to the polygamma function
The Hurwitz zeta is generalizes the polygamma function:
- ψ(m)(z) = ( - )m + 1m!ζ(m + 1,z)
Relation to the Lerch transcendant
The Lerch transcendant generalizes the Hurwitz zeta:
and thus
- ζ(s,q) = Φ(1,s,q)
Functional equation
The functional equation relates values of the zeta on the left- and right-hand sides of the complex plane. For integers
,
holds for all values of s.
Taylor series
The derivative of the zeta in the second argument is a shift:
Thus, the Taylor series can be written as
Fourier transform
The discrete Fourier transform of the Hurwitz zeta function with respect to the order s is the Legendre chi function.
Relation to Jacobi theta function
If
is the Jacobi theta function, then
holds for
and z complex, but not an integer. For z=n an integer, this simplifies to
where ζ here is the Riemann zeta function. This distinction based on z accounts for the fact that the Jacobi theta function converges to the Dirac delta function in z as
.
Applications
Although Hurwitz's zeta function is thought of by mathematicians as being relevant to the "purest" of mathematical disciplines − number theory, it also occurs in the study of fractals and dynamical systems and in applied statistics; see Zipf's law and Zipf-Mandelbrot law.
References
- Tom M. Apostol Introduction to Analytic Number Theory, (1976) Springer-Verlag, New York. ISBN 0-387-90163-9 (See Chapter 12)
- Milton Abramowitz and Irene A. Stegun, Handbook of Mathematical Functions, (1964) Dover Publications, New York. ISBN 486-61272-4 . See paragraph 6.4.10.
- Djurdje Cvijovic and Jacek Klinowski. Math. Comp. 68 (1999), 1623-1630, 1999. (abstract)
- Linas Vepstas, The Bernoulli Operator, the Gauss-Kuzmin-Wirsing Operator, and the Riemann Zeta
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