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Imagine a mathematician wants to create this function:

$$F(s)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{1}{(n^2+1)^s}$$

Where would he start?

More precisely, how would he know the exact values of $F(s)$ for $s> 0$? And how would he extend this result for every natural $s$? And for real $s$?

jwodder
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user3141592
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  • Maybe you meant $n^\alpha$ instead of $n^2$ in the definition of the "zeta function above. ? –  Jan 01 '17 at 13:40
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    @mathbeing Nope. My aim there was to create a new function not studied before, to see the method used to analyse any totally new function – user3141592 Jan 01 '17 at 13:51
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    Most functions do not work the same way Riemann's did. So they will need different methods than Riemann used. A few functions do have properties so much like Riemann's that they are called "zeta functions," but I am afraid yours is not one of them. – GEdgar Jan 01 '17 at 14:02
  • @GEdgar Why? I mean, this function seems very similar to the Prime Zeta Function. And if we cannot use the same method, how would we analyse it? – user3141592 Jan 01 '17 at 14:06
  • @user3141592 What is similar between this and the Prime zeta function? I've already looked at this, and so has WolframAlpha. AFAIK, this function is not known in terms of other special functions. – Simply Beautiful Art Jan 01 '17 at 14:48
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    @SimpleArt he changed his function 3 times. And WA is very bad with Dirichlet series – reuns Jan 01 '17 at 14:50
  • @user1952009 That would definitely explain a few things. – Simply Beautiful Art Jan 01 '17 at 14:50
  • @user1952009 It was not me the one who changed it the last times. Stop making noise please – user3141592 Jan 01 '17 at 15:09
  • @user1952009 I had changed it before your answer was posted – user3141592 Jan 01 '17 at 15:14
  • Aha! I done did it! Closed form solution for arbitrary $s\in\mathbb N$ is given below now. – Simply Beautiful Art Jan 01 '17 at 16:38
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    How does a mathematician create a new zeta function? I believe that also is possible using a property of the Mellin transform, when is applied to an harmonic series. –  Jan 02 '17 at 10:17
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    If I may, I have updated my answer... – Simply Beautiful Art Jan 07 '17 at 22:41
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    I am saying the first paragraphs, that are the formula (6) and the comment in italic, in page 4 of Flajolet and Gourdon and Dumas, Mellin Transforms and Asymptotics: Harmonic sums. Then I undersand (and I don't know this theory) that if you know how compute the Mellin transfor, of $G(x)$ and $g(x)$ you can define implicitement a zeta function using the formula (6). I try force me to study these tools because I believe that are modern tools. Many thanks for your attention @TheGreatDuck –  Jan 14 '17 at 08:58
  • @TheGreatDuck then you are right. In Wikipedia there is an entry List of zeta functions, my purpose was provide my viewpoint. I don't know very well what's a zeta function. –  Jan 14 '17 at 21:35

4 Answers4

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Update:

If one may recall the following series:

$$\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac1{n^2+x}=\frac1{2x}+\frac\pi{2\sqrt x\tanh(\pi\sqrt x)}$$

Then differentiating both sides $k$ times yields

$$\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac1{(n^2+x)^{k+1}}=\frac1{2x^{k+1}}+\frac{(-1)^k\pi}{2\times k!}\frac{d^k}{dx^k}\frac1{\sqrt x\tanh(\pi\sqrt x)}$$

and evaluation at $x=1$ gives closed forms.

Update:

Using general Leibniz rule, we have

$$\frac{d^k}{dx^k}\frac{\coth(\pi\sqrt x)}{\sqrt x}=\sum_{p=0}^k\binom kp\frac{\Gamma(3/2+n-p)}{-2\sqrt\pi}(-1)^{n-p}x^{-1/2-n+p}(\coth(\pi\sqrt x))^{(p)}$$

We can handle the chain rule with the $n$th derivative of $\coth$ using Faà di Bruno's formula,

$$\small(\coth(\pi\sqrt x))^{(p)}=\sum_{q=1}^n\coth^{(q)}(\pi\sqrt x)B_{p,q}\left(\pi\frac12x^{-1/2},-\pi\frac14x^{-1/2},\dots,\sqrt\pi\frac{\Gamma(3/2+q)}{-4}(-1)^qx^{-1/2-q}\right)$$

where $B_{n,k}$ is the bell polynomial. The $q$th derivative of $\coth$ is then given when $q\ge1$:

$$\coth^{(q)}(x)=2^q(\coth(x)-1)\sum_{r=0}^q\frac{(-1)^rr!S_q^{(r)}}{2^r}(\coth(x)+1)^r$$

Putting all of this together,

$$\tiny F(k+1)=\frac12+\frac{(-1)^k\pi}{2(k!)}\left(\binom kp\frac{\Gamma(3/2+k)}{-2\sqrt\pi}(-1)^k(\coth(\pi)+\sum_{p=1}^k\sum_{q=1}^n\sum_{r=0}^q\binom kp\frac{\Gamma(3/2+k-p)}{-2\sqrt\pi}(-1)^{k+p+r}2^{q-r}(\coth(\pi)-1)(-1)^rr!S_q^{(r)}(\coth(\pi)+1)^r(\pi)B_{p,q}\left(\pi,-\pi\frac14,\dots,\sqrt\pi\frac{\Gamma(3/2+q)}{-4}(-1)^q\right)\right)$$


Old:

A theta function:

$$\frac12[\vartheta_3(0,r)+1]=\sum_{n=0}^\infty r^{n^2}$$

Term by term integration then reveals that

$$\frac1x\int_0^x\frac12[\vartheta_3(0,r)+1]\ dr=\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac{x^{n^2}}{1+n^2}$$

Repeat this process over and over to get

$$\frac1{x_1}\int_0^{x_1}dx_2\frac1{x_2}\int_0^{x_2}dx_3\dots dx_k\frac1{x_k}\int_0^{x_k}dr\frac12[\vartheta_3(0,r)+1]=\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac{x_1^{n^2}}{(1+n^2)^k}$$

And of course, evaluate at $x_1=1$ for your function. I do not see a closed form coming out of this, but it may be useful for discerning certain things about your function.

I do note, however, that in the case of $k=1$, the solution is given in this post:

$$\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac1{1+n^2}=\int_0^1\frac12[\vartheta_3(0,r)+1]\ dr=\frac\pi{2\tanh\pi}+\frac12$$

5

It doesn't have an Euler product.

Expanding $(1+n^{-2})^{-s} =\sum_{k=0}^\infty {-s \choose k} n^{-2k}$ you get $$F(s) =\sum_{n=0}^\infty (n^2+1)^{-s} = 1+2^{-s}+\sum_{k=0}^\infty {-s \choose k} (\zeta(2s+2k)-1)$$ so it is meromorphic on the whole complex plane, with poles at $s = \frac{1}{2}-k, k \in \mathbb{N}$

Using $\Gamma(s) a^{-s} =\int_0^\infty x^{s-1}e^{-ax}dx$ and $\theta(x) = \sum_{n=1}^\infty e^{-x n^2}$ you have $$G(s) = (F(s)-1-2^{-s}) \Gamma(s) = \int_0^\infty x^{s-1}e^{-x} \theta(x)dx, \qquad \Gamma(s) \zeta(2s) = \int_0^\infty x^{s-1}\theta(x) dx $$ where $\Gamma(s) \zeta(2s)-\frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2(s-1/2)}+\frac{1}{2s}$ is entire.

From these poles location, we can deduce that for arbitrary large $N$ :

$\theta(x) = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}x^{-1/2}-\frac{1}{2}+o(x^N)$ as $x \to 0$ and hence $e^{-x}\theta(x) = \sum_{k\ge 0} \frac{x^k}{k!}(\frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}x^{-1/2}-\frac{1}{2})+o(x^N)$ as $x \to 0$

so that $$\lim_{s \to 1/2-k}(s+1/2-k)G(s)= \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2k!}, \qquad \lim_{s \to -k}(s-k)G(s)= \frac{-1/2}{(k+1)!}$$

reuns
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    I wonder what makes this answer more popular. It simply provides an asymptote, but asymptotes are hardly difficult to find. I know the OP has changed the question, but I'm just scratching my head over how useful these asymptotes are. Though, I give +1 for the $s\to-k$ asymptotes, since $F(s)$ isn't naturally defined in that region. – Simply Beautiful Art Jan 01 '17 at 16:53
  • @SimpleArt it gives the analytic continuation, the value at $-k$, the poles at $-k+1/2$. Together with the value at positive integers, this is probably all we can tell at this level. And the method is exactly the same with $\zeta(s)$. – reuns Jan 01 '17 at 17:07
  • Yeah, probably. And yes, ofc, I can recognize your "$\zeta(s)\Gamma(s)$" combo here. – Simply Beautiful Art Jan 01 '17 at 17:08
  • @SimpleArt (Riemann's trick, from this he obtained the functional equation, using the Poisson formula $1+2\theta(x)=\frac{1}{x^{1/2}}(1+2\theta(1/x))$) – reuns Jan 01 '17 at 17:10
  • Just picking a nit: I believe it should be $$F(s)=1+2^{-s}+\sum_{k=0}^\infty\binom{-s}{k}(\zeta(2s+2k)-1)$$ – robjohn Jan 01 '17 at 17:19
  • @robjohn right tks – reuns Jan 01 '17 at 18:07
  • @user1952009: How do you know that there is no Euler-type product? I'm genuinely curious whether this is a common-sense statement, an intuition if you want, or whether you can back it with a rigorous proof. – Alex M. Jan 01 '17 at 22:28
  • @AlexM. Euler product = multiplicative coefficients. Here they are not, because $n-1$ and $m-1$ are square and $gcd(n,m) = 1$ don't imply that $nm-1$ is a square ($n=2,m = 17$) – reuns Jan 02 '17 at 11:06
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Accepting, for argument's sake, that it is possible to create a function (the opposing view is that one discovers mathematical objects, rather than creating them), you have created the function simply by writing down that formula. Well, you have created it for real part of $s$ exceeding one-half, which is where the series converges. Knowing "exact values" (again, a term we can argue over, but I'll take it to mean a finite expression in terms of well-known constants, and leave it at that), well, that's generally very difficult. No one knows an exact value for $\zeta(3)$, for example, and for your function I suspect no one knows an exact value for $F(2)$. And as to extending your function to be defined for all complex $s$ (outside of a pole at $s=1/2$), that's what analytic continuation is for, so now you have a keyphrase to search for.

Gerry Myerson
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Perhaps look into the theory of Dirichlet series? Your function is the series corresponding to the sequence $n \mapsto [\exists x\in \mathbb{N}(n=x^2+1)],$ where $[-]$ is the Iverson Bracket (google it.) The first few terms of the sequence are:

$$0,1,1,0,0,1\ldots$$

goblin GONE
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