Zeta function regularization: Difference between revisions

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{{Use American English|date = January 2019}}

{{Short description|Summability method in physics}}

{{Use American English|date = January 2019}}

{{Renormalization and regularization}}

In [[mathematics]] and [[theoretical physics]], '''zeta function regularization''' is a type of [[regularization (mathematicsphysics)|regularization]] or [[summability method]] that assigns finite values to [[Divergent series|divergent sums]] or products, and in particular can be used to define [[determinant]]s and [[trace (linear algebra)|trace]]s of some [[self-adjoint operator]]s. The technique is now commonly applied to problems in [[physics]], but has its origins in attempts to give precise meanings to [[ Condition number|ill-conditioned]] sums appearing in [[number theory]].

==Definition==

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There are several different summation methods called zeta function regularization for defining the sum of a possibly divergent series {{nowrap|''a''₁ + ''a''₂ + ....}}

One method is to define its zeta regularized sum to be ''ζ_''A''''(−1) if this is defined, where the zeta function is defined for large Re(''s'') by

:<math> \zeta_A(s) = \frac{1}{a_1^s}+\frac{1}{a_2^s} +\cdots</math>

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if this sum converges, and by [[analytic continuation]] elsewhere.

In the case when ''a''_''n'' = ''n'', the zeta function is the ordinary [[Riemann zeta function]]. This method was used by [[EulerSrinivasa Ramanujan]] to "sum" the series [[1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ...⋯]] to ''ζ''(&minus;1) = &minus;1/12.

{{harvtxtharvs|txt|author-link=Stephen Hawking|last=Hawking|first=Stephen|year=1977}} showed that in flat space, in which the eigenvalues of Laplacians are known, the [[zeta function (operator)|zeta function]] corresponding to the [[partition function (quantum field theory)|partition function]] can be computed explicitly. Consider a scalar field ''φ'' contained in a large box of volume ''V'' in flat spacetime at the temperature ''T''&nbsp;=&nbsp;''β''⁻¹. The partition function is defined by a [[path integral formulation|path integral]] over all fields ''φ'' on the Euclidean space obtained by putting ''τ''&nbsp;=&nbsp;''it'' which are zero on the walls of the box and which are periodic in ''τ'' with period ''β''. In this situation from the partition function he computes energy, entropy and pressure of the radiation of the field&nbsp;''φ''. In case of flat spaces the eigenvalues appearing in the physical quantities are generally known, while in case of curved space they are not known: in this case asymptotic methods are needed.

Another method defines the possibly divergent infinite product ''a''₁''a''₂.... to be exp(&minus;ζ&prime;_''A''(0)). {{harvtxtharvs|txt|first=D. B. |last=Ray|first2=I. M.|last2=Singer|year=1971|author-link=Daniel Burrill Ray
|author2-link=Isadore Singer}} used this to define the [[determinant]] of a positive [[self-adjoint operator]] ''A'' (the [[Laplacian operator|Laplacian]] of a [[Riemannian manifold]] in their application) with [[eigenvalue]]s ''a''₁, ''a''₂, ...., and in this case the zeta function is formally the trace of ''A''^&minus;''s''. {{harvtxtharvs|txt|first=S. |last=Minakshisundaram|first2=Å.|last2=Pleijel|year=1949|author-link=Subbaramiah Minakshisundaram
|author2-link=Åke Pleijel}} showed that if ''A'' is the Laplacian of a compact Riemannian manifold then the [[Minakshisundaram–Pleijel zeta function]] converges and has an analytic continuation as a meromorphic function to all complex numbers, and {{harvtxtharvs|txt|first=R. T. |last=Seeley|year=1967|author-link=Robert Thomas Seeley
}} extended this to [[Elliptic differential operator|elliptic pseudo-differential operator]]s ''A'' on compact Riemannian manifolds. So for such operators one can define the determinant using zeta function regularization. See "[[analytic torsion]]."

{{harvtxt|Hawking|1977}} suggested using this idea to evaluate path integrals in curved spacetimes. He studied zeta function regularization in order to calculate the partition functions for thermal graviton and matter's quanta in curved background such as on the horizon of black holes and on de Sitter background using the relation by the inverse [[Mellin transform]]ation to the trace of the kernel of [[heat equation]]s.

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==Relation to other regularizations==

Zeta function regularization is equivalent to [[dimensional regularization]], see.{{ref|BCEMZ}}. However, the main advantage of the zeta regularization is that it can be used whenever the dimensional regularization fails, for example if there are matrices or tensors inside the calculations <math> \epsilon _{i,j,k} </math>

==Relation to Dirichlet series==

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==History==

Much of the early work establishing the convergence and equivalence of series regularized with the heat kernel and zeta function regularization methods was done by [[G. H. Hardy]] and [[J. E. Littlewood]] in 1916{{ref|Hard16}} and is based on the application of the [[Mellin transform|Cahen–Mellin integral]]. The effort was made in order to obtain values for various ill-defined, [[conditionally convergent]] sums appearing in [[number theory]].

In terms of application as the regulator in physical problems, before {{harvtxt|Hawking|1977}}, J. Stuart Dowker and Raymond Critchley in 1976 proposed a zeta-function regularization method for quantum physical problems.{{ref|Do76}} [[Emilio Elizalde]] and others have also proposed a method based on the zeta regularization for the integrals <math> \int_{a}^{\infty}x^{m-s}dx </math>, here <math> x^{-s} </math> is a regulator and the divergent integral depends on the numbers <math> \zeta (s-m) </math> in the limit <math> s \to 0 </math> see [[renormalization]]. Also unlike other regularizations such as [[dimensional regularization]] and analytic regularization, zeta regularization has no counterterms and gives only finite results.

==See also==

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* {{note|Hard16}}G.H. Hardy and J.E. Littlewood, "Contributions to the Theory of the Riemann Zeta-Function and the Theory of the Distribution of Primes", ''Acta Mathematica'', '''41'''(1916) pp.&nbsp;119–196. ''(See, for example, theorem 2.12)''

* {{Citation | last1=Hawking | first1=S. W. | author1-link=Stephen Hawking | title=Zeta function regularization of path integrals in curved spacetime | doi=10.1007/BF01626516 | mr=0524257 | date=1977 | journal=Communications in Mathematical Physics | issn=0010-3616 | volume=55 | issue=2 | pages=133–148|bibcode = 1977CMaPh..55..133H | s2cid=121650064 | url=http://projecteuclid.org/euclid.cmp/1103900982 }}

* {{note|Mo97}} V. Moretti, "''Direct z-function approach and renormalization of one-loop stress tensor in curved spacetimes'', ''Phys. Rev.D 56, 7797 ''(1997).

* {{Citation | last1=Minakshisundaram | first1=S. | last2=Pleijel | first2=Å. | title=Some properties of the eigenfunctions of the Laplace-operator on Riemannian manifolds | doi=10.4153/CJM-1949-021-5 | doi-access=free | mr=0031145 | date=1949 | journal=[[Canadian Journal of Mathematics]] | issn=0008-414X | volume=1 | issue=3 | pages=242–256}}

* {{Citation | last1=Ray | first1=D. B. | last2=Singer | first2=I. M. | title=''R''-torsion and the Laplacian on Riemannian manifolds | doi=10.1016/0001-8708(71)90045-4 | mr=0295381 | date=1971 | journal=[[Advances in Mathematics]] | volume=7 | issue=2 | pages=145–210| doi-access=free }}

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* {{Citation | last1=Seeley | first1=R. T. | editor1-last=Calderón | editor1-first=Alberto P. | title=Singular Integrals (Proc. Sympos. Pure Math., Chicago, Ill., 1966) | publisher=Amer. Math. Soc. | ___location=Providence, R.I. | series=Proceedings of Symposia in Pure Mathematics | isbn=978-0-8218-1410-9 | mr=0237943 | date=1967 | volume=10 | chapter=Complex powers of an elliptic operator | pages=288–307}}

* {{note|Do76}} {{Citation | last1=Dowker | first1=J. S. | last2=Critchley | first2=R. | title=Effective Lagrangian and energy–momentum tensor in de Sitter space | journal=Physical Review D | volume=13 | pages=3224–3232 | date=1976 | issue=12 | doi=10.1103/PhysRevD.13.3224| bibcode=1976PhRvD..13.3224D }}

* {{note|FP17}} D. Fermi, L. Pizzocchero, "[https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/10570#t=aboutBook Local zeta regularization and the scalar Casimir effect. A general approach based on integral kernels]", World Scientific Publishing, {{ISBN: |978-981-3224-99-5}} (hardcover), {{ISBN: |978-981-3225-01-5}} (ebook). DOI: [https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/10570#t=aboutBook {{doi|10.1142/10570]}} (2017).

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