The Selberg Class of Zeta- and L-Functions
MONASTIR MINI-COURSE: THE SELBERG CLASS OF ZETA- AND L-FUNCTIONS JORN¨ STEUDING ”What is a zeta-function (an L-function)? We know one when we see one! ” This quotation is attributed to M.N. Huxley and reflects the number-theoretical prob- lem to classify those generating functions which carry arithmetically relevant data. In 1989, Selberg introduced a general class of Dirichlet series having an Euler product S representation, analytic continuation and a functional equation of Riemann-type, and for- mulated some fundamental conjectures. In only twenty years this so-called Selberg class of L-functions became an important branch of research in Analytic Number Theory with im- portant arithmetical applications. It is widely expected that the Selberg class contains all aritmetically important L-functions, moreover, that it consists of exactly all automorphic L-functions. In this mini-course, consisting of six lectures, we give an introduction to this topic. Our focus is on general methods, e.g., Hecke’s approach to functional equations and analytic continuation, Tauberian theorems to deduce information about prime numbers, as well as linear and non-linear twists, a powerful tool recently invented by Kaczorowski & Perelli to investigate the structure of the Selberg class. The course is mainly based on the excellent surveys of Kaczorowski [20] and Perelli [42, 43], and the monographs [38, 54] of M.R. Murty & V.K. Murty and the author, respectively. Basic knowledge in Real and Complex Analysis is expected, and a background from Number Theory is useful, although we have added several appendices in order to present a self-contained introduction.
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