On the minima and convexity of Epstein Zeta function

TL;DR

This paper investigates the minima and convexity properties of the Epstein zeta function, revealing unique minima and convexity conditions, and explores the sign behavior and implications for the Riemann hypothesis across different dimensions.

Contribution

It establishes the uniqueness of the minimum of the Epstein zeta function under certain conditions and demonstrates its convexity, also analyzing its sign behavior and implications for the Riemann hypothesis.

Findings

Unique minimum at equal parameters for fixed product

Convexity of the zeta function in certain variables

Sign changes of the zeta function depending on dimension

Abstract

Let $Z_n(s; a_1,..., a_n)$ be the Epstein zeta function defined as the meromorphic continuation of the function \sum_{k\in\Z^n\setminus\{0\}}(\sum_{i=1}^n [a_i k_i]^2)^{-s}, \text{Re} s>\frac{n}{2} to the complex plane. We show that for fixed $s\neq n/2$, the function $Z_n(s; a_1,..., a_n)$, as a function of $(a_1,..., a_n)\in (\R^+)^n$ with fixed $\prod_{i=1}^n a_i$, has a unique minimum at the point $a_1=...=a_n$. When $\sum_{i=1}^n c_i$ is fixed, the function $$(c_1,..., c_n)\mapsto Z_n(s; e^{c_1},..., e^{c_n})$$ can be shown to be a convex function of any $(n-1)$ of the variables $\{c_1,...,c_n\}$. These results are then applied to the study of the sign of $Z_n(s; a_1,..., a_n)$ when $s$ is in the critical range $(0, n/2)$. It is shown that when $1\leq n\leq 9$, $Z_n(s; a_1,..., a_n)$ as a function of $(a_1,..., a_n)\in (\R^+)^n$, can be both positive and negative for every $s\in (0,n/2)$. When $n\geq 10$, there are some open subsets $I_{n,+}$ of $s\in(0,n/2)$, where $Z_{n}(s; a_1,..., a_n)$ is positive for all $(a_1,..., a_n)\in(\R^+)^n$. By regarding $Z_n(s; a_1,..., a_n)$ as a function of $s$, we find that when $n\geq 10$, the generalized Riemann hypothesis is false for all $(a_1,...,a_n)$.