All Questions
Tagged with analytic-number-theory nt.number-theory
2,517 questions
157
votes
7
answers
74k
views
Consequences of the Riemann hypothesis
I assume a number of results have been proven conditionally on the Riemann hypothesis, of course in number theory and maybe in other fields. What are the most relevant you know?
It would also be nice ...
137
votes
2
answers
55k
views
Consequences resulting from Yitang Zhang's latest claimed results on Landau-Siegel zeros
Very recently, Yitang Zhang just gave a (virtual) talk about his work on Landau-Siegel zeros at Shandong University on the 5th of November's morning in China. He will also give a talk on 8th November ...
- 1,503
106
votes
6
answers
19k
views
Why does the Riemann zeta function have non-trivial zeros?
This is a very basic question of course, and exposes my serious ignorance of analytic number theory, but what I am looking for is a good intuitive explanation rather than a formal proof (though a ...
- 29k
79
votes
6
answers
11k
views
Does Zhang's theorem generalize to $3$ or more primes in an interval of fixed length?
Let $p_n$ be the $n$-th prime number, as usual:
$p_1 = 2$, $p_2 = 3$, $p_3 = 5$, $p_4 = 7$, etc.
For $k=1,2,3,\ldots$, define
$$
g_k = \liminf_{n \rightarrow \infty} (p_{n+k} - p_n).
$$
Thus the twin ...
- 79.9k
74
votes
10
answers
18k
views
Why does the Gamma-function complete the Riemann Zeta function?
Defining $$\xi(s) := \pi^{-s/2}\ \Gamma\left(\frac{s}{2}\right)\ \zeta(s)$$ yields $\xi(s) = \xi(1 - s)$ (where $\zeta$ is the Riemann Zeta function).
Is there any conceptual explanation - or ...
- 12.3k
69
votes
3
answers
9k
views
What is the status of the Gauss Circle Problem?
For $r > 0$, let $L(r) = \# \{ (x,y) \in \mathbb{Z}^2 \ | \ x^2 + y^2 \leq r^2\}$ be the number of lattice points lying on or inside the standard circle of radius $r$. It is easy to see that $L(r) ...
- 65.4k
69
votes
4
answers
14k
views
Is a "non-analytic" proof of Dirichlet's theorem on primes known or possible?
It is well-known that one can prove certain special cases of Dirichlet's theorem by exhibiting an integer polynomial $p(x)$ with the properties that the prime divisors of $\{ p(n) | n \in \mathbb{Z} \}...
- 118k
68
votes
3
answers
38k
views
Yitang Zhang's 2007 preprint on Landau–Siegel zeros
The recent sensational news on bounded gaps between primes made me wonder: what is the status of Yitang Zhang's earlier arXiv preprint On the Landau-Siegel zeros conjecture? If this result is correct, ...
- 105k
67
votes
17
answers
12k
views
Shortest/Most elegant proof for $L(1,\chi)\neq 0$
Let $\chi$ be a Dirichlet character and $L(1,\chi)$ the associated L-function evaluated at $s=1$. What would be the 'shortest' proof of the non-vanishing of $L(1,\chi)$?
Background: The non-vanishing ...
- 7,127
62
votes
1
answer
14k
views
Is the Green-Tao theorem true for primes within a given arithmetic progression?
Ben Green and Terrence Tao proved that there are arbitrary length arithmetic progressions among the primes.
Now, consider an arithmetic progression with starting term $a$ and common difference $d$. ...
- 3,699
58
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Number of elements in the set $\{1,\cdots,n\}\cdot\{1,\cdots,n\}$
Let $A_n=\{a\cdot b : a,b \in \mathbb{N}, a,b\leq n\}$. Are there any estimates for $|A_n|$? Will it be $o(n^2)$?
- 897
58
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Every prime number > 19 divides one plus the product of two smaller primes?
This is a part of my answer to this question I think it deserves to be treated separately.
Conjecture Let $A$ be the set of all primes from $2$ to $p>19$. Let $q$ be the next prime after $p$. ...
user6976
56
votes
1
answer
4k
views
A mysterious connection between primes and $\pi$
The Prime Number Theorem relates primes to the important constant $e$.
Here I report my following surprising discovery which relates primes to $\pi$.
Conjecture (December 15, 2019). Let $s(n)$ be ...
- 15.6k
55
votes
4
answers
4k
views
An interesting integral expression for $\pi^n$?
I came on the following multiple integral while renormalizing elliptic multiple zeta values:
$$\int_0^1\cdots \int_0^1\int_1^\infty {{1}\over{t_n(t_{n-1}+t_n)\cdots (t_1+\cdots+t_n)}} dt_n\cdots dt_1.$...
- 1,307
54
votes
4
answers
3k
views
When has the Borel-Cantelli heuristic been wrong?
The Borel-Cantelli lemma is very frequently used to give a heuristic for whether or not certain statements in number theory are true.
For example, it gives some evidence that there are finitely many ...
- 11.4k
54
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Walsh Fourier transform of the Möbius function
This question is related to this previous question where I asked about ordinary Fourier coefficients.
Special case: is Möbius nearly orthogonal to Morse
August Ferdinand Möbius (November 17, 1790 – ...
53
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Distribution of square roots mod 1
I was wondering about the distribution of $\sqrt{p}$ mod $1$ this morning, as one does while brushing one's teeth. I remembered the paper of Elkies and McMullen (Duke Math. J. 123 (2004), no. 1, 95–...
- 13.3k
52
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Is the Riemann zeta function surjective?
Is the Riemann zeta function surjective or does it miss one value?
- 2,375
50
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Motivated account of the prime number theorem and related topics
Though my own research interests (described below) are pretty far from analytic number theory, I have always wanted to understand the prime number theorem and related topics. In particular, I often ...
- 482
49
votes
4
answers
6k
views
If the Riemann Hypothesis fails, must it fail infinitely often?
That is must there either be no non-trivial zeros off the critical line or
infinitely many?
I'm sure that no one believes otherwise, but I've never seen a theorem in the
literature addressing this. ...
- 17.6k
49
votes
3
answers
6k
views
The Hardy Z-function and failure of the Riemann hypothesis
David Feldman asked whether it would be reasonable for the Riemann hypothesis to be false, but for the Riemann zeta function to only have finitely many zeros off the critical line. I very rashly ...
- 13.1k
49
votes
2
answers
11k
views
Is this Riemann zeta function product equal to the Fourier transform of the von Mangoldt function?
Mathematica knows that:
$$\log(n) = \lim\limits_{s \rightarrow 1} \zeta(s)\left(1 - \frac{1}{n^{(s - 1)}}\right)\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\; (1)$$
The von Mangoldt function should then be:
$$\Lambda(n)=...
47
votes
5
answers
19k
views
How and when do I learn so much mathematics?
I am about to (hopefully!) begin my PhD (in Europe) and I have a question: how did you learn so much mathematics?
Allow me to explain. I am training to be a number theorist and I have only some read ...
47
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Class Numbers and 163
This is a bit fluffier of a question than I usually aim for, so apologies in advance if this doesn't pass the smell test for suitability.
Likely my favorite fun fact in all of number theory is the ...
- 8,467
46
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Why could Mertens not prove the prime number theorem?
We know that
$$
\sum_{n \le x}\frac{1}{n\ln n} = \ln\ln x + c_1 + O(1/x)
$$
where $c_1$ is a constant. Again Mertens' theorem says that the primes $p$ satisfy
$$
\sum_{p \le x}\frac{1}{p} = \ln\ln ...
- 5,470
45
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Why is so much work done on numerical verification of the Riemann Hypothesis?
I have noticed that there is a huge amount of work which has been done on numerically verifying the Riemann hypothesis for larger and larger non-trivial zeroes.
I don't mean to ask a stupid question, ...
- 5,146
45
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Is it possible to show that $\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{\mu(n)}{\sqrt{n}}$ diverges?
Let $\mu(n)$ denote the Mobius function with the well-known Dirichlet series representation
$$
\frac{1}{\zeta(s)} = \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{\mu(n)}{n^{s}}.
$$
Basic theorems about Dirichlet series ...
- 20.4k
45
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why such an interest in studying prime gaps?
Prime gaps studies seems to be one of the most fertile topics in analytic number theory, for long and in lots of directions :
lower bounds (recent works by Maynard, Tao et al. [1])
upper bounds (...
- 5,424
44
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Iterated logarithms in analytic number theory
As all analytic number theorists know, iterated logarithms ($\log x$, $\log \log x$, $\log \log \log x$, etc.) are prevalent in analytic number theory. One can give countless examples of this ...
- 4,985
43
votes
8
answers
21k
views
Approaches to Riemann hypothesis using methods outside number theory [closed]
Background: Once an analytic number theorist remarked to me that all attempts to prove the Riemann hypothesis using number theoretic methods have failed. Since then that remark stuck in my mind.
The ...
43
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is this integral representation of $\zeta(2n+1)$ known?
Background: I'm an undergraduate at an institution with no researchers in analytic number theory, and no ties to the analytic number theory community. I believe I have found what is, as far as I can ...
- 383
42
votes
7
answers
5k
views
How should an analytic number theorist look at Bessel functions?
(And a related question: Where should an analytic number theorist learn about Bessel functions?)
Bessel functions occur quite frequently in analytic number theory. One example, Corollary 4.7 of ...
- 7,337
42
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Is Li(x) the best possible approximation to the prime-counting function?
The Prime Number Theorem says that $\lim_{n \to \infty} \frac{\pi(n)}{\mathrm{Li}(n)} = 1$, where $\mathrm{Li}(x)$ is the Logarithm integral function $\mathrm{Li}(x) = \int_2^x \frac{1}{\log(x)}dx$. ...
- 5,530
41
votes
6
answers
9k
views
"Long-standing conjectures in analysis ... often turn out to be false"
The title is a quote from a Jim Holt article entitled, "The Riemann zeta conjecture and the laughter of the primes" (p. 47).1
His example of a "long-standing conjecture" is the Riemann hypothesis,...
40
votes
8
answers
12k
views
How does one motivate the analytic continuation of the Riemann zeta function?
I saw the functional equation and its proof for the Riemann zeta function many times, but usually the books start with, e.g. tricky change of variable of Gamma function or other seemingly unmotivated ...
- 3,806
40
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Is $\zeta(3)/\pi^3$ rational?
Apery proved in his paper from 1979 that $\zeta(3)$ is irrational, and we know that for all integers $n$,
$\zeta(2n)=\alpha \pi^{2n}$
for some $\alpha\in \mathbb{Q}$. Given these facts, it seems ...
- 7,013
39
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Infinite exponential representation of real numbers
I was thinking about infinite exponential representation of real numbers (like $2=e^{e^{-e^{-e^{e^{-e^{e^{e^{-e^{-e^{-e^{-e^{-e^{e^{-e^{e^{e^{-e^{e^{\cdot^{\cdot^{\cdot}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}$.
The ...
- 6,819
39
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Prime number races in 2 dimensions
Is the mapping $$f: \ \mathbb{N} \rightarrow \mathbb{Z}[i], \ \ \ n \ \mapsto
\sum_{2 < p \leq n \ {\rm prime}} e^{\frac{p-1}{4} \pi i}$$ surjective?
In 1999, when I was an undergraduate student, ...
- 19.6k
38
votes
2
answers
13k
views
What, exactly, has Louis de Branges proved about the Riemann Hypothesis?
I know this is a dangerous topic which could attract many cranks and nutters, but:
According to Wikipedia [and probably his own website, but I have a hard time seeing exactly what he's claiming] Louis ...
- 1,990
38
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Is the set of primes "translation-finite"?
The definition in the title probably needs explaining. I should say that the question itself was an idea I had for someone else's undergraduate research project, but we decided early on it would be ...
- 25.8k
38
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Modular forms and the Riemann Hypothesis
Is there any statement directly about modular forms that is equivalent to the Riemann Hypothesis for L-functions?
What I'm thinking of is this: under the Mellin transform, the Riemann zeta function $...
- 889
37
votes
3
answers
2k
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How to prove the identity $L(2,(\frac{\cdot}3))=\frac2{15}\sum\limits_{k=1}^\infty\frac{48^k}{k(2k-1)\binom{4k}{2k}\binom{2k}k}$?
For the Dirichlet character $\chi(a)=(\frac a3)$ (which is the Legendre symbol), we have
$$L(2,\chi)=\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{(\frac n3)}{n^2}=0.781302412896486296867187429624\ldots.$$
Note that this ...
- 15.6k
37
votes
2
answers
3k
views
The Bourgain-Demeter-Guth breakthrough and the Riemann zeta function?
Yesterday Bourgain, Demeter and Guth released a preprint proving (up to endpoints) the so-called main conjecture of the Vinogradov's Mean Value Theorem for all degrees. This had previously been only ...
- 13k
36
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Why do primes dislike dividing the sum of all the preceding primes?
I was investigating primes with the property that the sum of the first $n$ primes is divisible by $p_n$. It turns out that these primes are extremely extremely rare. For primes less than $10^9$, I ...
- 5,470
35
votes
7
answers
6k
views
Heuristic argument for the Riemann Hypothesis
Is there a heuristic argument that supports the validity of the Riemann hypothesis or are we just relying on numerical evidence? Moreover, what is the strongest theorem that supports the validity of ...
- 3,699
35
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Lagrange four squares theorem
Lagrange's four square theorem states that every non-negative integer is a sum of squares of four non-negative integers. Suppose $X$ is a subset of non-negative integers with the same property, that ...
- 1,651
35
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Quaternionic and octonionic analogues of the Basel problem
I asked this question in MSE around 3 months ago but I have received no answer yet, so following the suggestion in the comments I decided to post it here.
It is a well-known fact that
$$\sum_{0\neq n\...
- 1,206
35
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Is there a rigid analytic geometry proof of the functional equation for the Riemann zeta function?
The adèles $\mathbb A$ arise naturally when considering the Berkovich space $\mathcal M(\mathbb Z)$ of the integers. Namely, they are the stalk $\mathbb A = (j_\ast j^{-1} \mathcal O_\mathbb Z)_p$ ...
- 63.9k
34
votes
7
answers
8k
views
Explicit formula for Riemann zeros counting function
I've often seen it stated (in vague terms) that there's a Fourier duality between the set of prime numbers and the set of nontrivial Riemann zeta zeros.
Because there are various explicit formulae ...
- 371
33
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can we find two positive integers $n$ and $m$ ($n,m>1$) such that $n^\pi = m$? [duplicate]
I came across this apparent random question in some math questions website. At first, I thought it was easy to show that there are no non-trivial integer solutions to this equation, but then I ...
- 515