First continue the Riemann zeta function into . Summing the integral of the integer-part function gives, initially for ,
The last integral defines a holomorphic function for , so this continuation has only a simple pole at one, of residue one.
For , logarithmic expansion of the Euler product and give
This proves the three-four-one product proof of zeta boundary nonvanishing inequality
If and to order , the middle factor is , the first is , and the last remains bounded. Their product tends to zero, a contradiction. At there is a pole, not a zero. The zeta function has no zero on .
Put , where is the Von Mangoldt function. Logarithmic differentiation of the Euler product gives for . The first integral of the Chebyshev function is consequently
To check its kernel, evaluate the contour integral of by closing to the left for and to the right for . The residues at zero and minus one give in the first case and zero in the second. Multiplication by and substitution therefore produce . On the line , the Dirichlet series and vertical integral have absolute convergence, justifying their interchange; at the kernel is zero on either side.
Here is the smoothing step that establishes the requested asymptotic. Shift the line of this contour integral to the left. The pole of at one has residue ; at each Nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function of zero multiplicity its residue is . The denominators also contribute at zero and minus one, and the trivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function occur at . Summing these residues yields the smoothed explicit formula for the Chebyshev function
Zeros are repeated with zero multiplicity. For the limits of the contour integral, choose horizontal heights avoiding zero ordinates, where the logarithmic derivative on each fixed strip is . The factor makes their integrals tend to zero. On left edges chosen a fixed distance from the trivial zeros, the functional equation of the Riemann zeta function controls the logarithmic derivative by ; for fixed the remaining vertical integral vanishes as that edge moves left. This is why the extra integration of is useful.
The Riemann–von Mangoldt formula, stated in Question 3, gives , hence
Indeed each dyadic height block contributes . The zero-free line just proved, the nonvanishing Euler product on its right, and the functional equation of the Riemann zeta function put every Nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function in . Therefore each tends to zero, with absolute value at most one for . Divide the explicit formula by and use dominated convergence on the zero terms with absolute convergence. The remaining displayed terms are , and we obtain
Monotonicity of removes the smoothing. For ,
After division by , the limits of the two bounds are and . Let to get . Question 1 gives , so . Partial summation now gives
The integral is , by splitting at and using . Inverting this at , we have and hence . Thus the th prime satisfies
For , the absolutely convergent logarithm of the Euler product for the Riemann zeta function is
The elementary identity therefore gives
Thus the expression inside the logarithm is at least one. The Meromorphic continuation of the Riemann zeta function to the right half-plane has only a simple pole at one, of residue one. It follows, for example, from
whose integral is holomorphic there.
Suppose and has a zero of order at . As , the real factor is , the middle factor is , and the factor at is bounded. Their product would tend to zero, contradicting its lower bound one. Hence
At there is a pole, not a zero; the statement about the line does not assert a finite value for . This proves the three-four-one product proof of zeta boundary nonvanishing.
To relate the Second Chebyshev function to the logarithmic derivative, differentiate the Euler product in its half-plane of absolute convergence:
Since , its first integral of the Chebyshev function is
For any fixed , its Mellin inversion formula is
For justification, the elementary contour kernel is for and zero for . Close left or right and take the residues at zero and minus one; at the continuous value is zero. Absolute convergence on allows termwise integration of the Dirichlet series, and multiplying this kernel by gives .
Here is how the relation yields the asymptotic. Move the contour to the left, using the functional equation of the Riemann zeta function to control the left-hand side. The residue at is , and a Nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function contributes , multiplied by its multiplicity. The kernel poles at zero and minus one contribute and ; a trivial zero of the Riemann zeta function contributes . Thus the smoothed explicit formula for the Chebyshev function is
For the contour argument, use heights avoiding the zero ordinates and then let those heights increase. The local zero bound from the Riemann–von Mangoldt formula, together with the Local partial-fraction expansion of the Riemann zeta logarithmic derivative, permits heights with logarithmic-derivative bound in each fixed vertical strip. The horizontal integrals then vanish because the denominator is of size . After that, send the left edge through negative odd integers to minus infinity; the functional equation of the Riemann zeta function bounds the logarithmic derivative there by a logarithm, and makes the left integral vanish for fixed . This explains why this smoothing allows a convergent contour calculation without a quantitative zero-free region.
In fact the Riemann–von Mangoldt formula, stated in the next solution, gives and hence
The Nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function satisfy , using the Euler product, the functional equation of the Riemann zeta function, and the nonvanishing just proved. For each such zero, as , whereas for . The dominated convergence theorem therefore makes the absolutely convergent zero sum, divided by , tend to zero. All the other displayed terms are . We obtain
It remains to unsmooth; differentiating an asymptotic without justification would not suffice. Monotonicity of gives, for fixed ,
Divide by and use the integral asymptotic. The lower and upper limits lie between and . Letting proves . Higher prime powers contribute , as in the first solution, so . Finally partial summation gives
The integral is , by and splitting at . Hence
which is the Prime number theorem.
Use the meromorphic completion
The functional equation of the Riemann zeta function is
Its entire version is with . The completion itself has poles at zero and one; it should not be confused with the entire Riemann xi function.
We prove the equation by a theta integral. Set
The Gaussian Fourier transform, with kernel , is
For example, differentiation in and integration by parts give the differential equation ; the Gaussian integral gives . Periodize the Gaussian by summing over integers . Its th Fourier coefficient is the displayed transform at . Both the periodized function and its Fourier series converge absolutely, so evaluation at gives the Poisson summation formula in this case:
For , integration term by term in the Gamma function integral gives
Indeed, the two terms for and cancel the factor , and substitution gives . Split at one, and use the transformation above in the integral from zero to one. The elementary contribution is
Substitution in the remaining term therefore gives
The theta tail decays exponentially. The integral is consequently an entire function of , with uniform convergence and termwise differentiation on compact subsets. The formula continues meromorphically to the whole plane. Both its rational part and its integral are unchanged by , proving the equation and the entire xi formulation. Using the reflection and duplication identities of the Gamma function, one may equivalently write
understood as an identity of meromorphic functions, including points where individual factors need continuation.
Now let count the Nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function with , including multiplicity. The Riemann–von Mangoldt formula is
For not a zero ordinate, the more precise usual form is
Here the argument is continued from along the path . The first formula remains valid at zero ordinates with the stated endpoint convention. Only its leading asymptotic is needed below.
List the positive ordinates as , with multiplicity, consistent with this counting function. Put . For every fixed ,
For all sufficiently large , the lower count is less than and the upper count is greater than . Consequently . Letting proves the asymptotic inversion of the zeta zero count
This argument works even when several zeros have the same ordinate; “increasing” is interpreted in the standard nondecreasing, multiplicity-counted sense. A count listing only distinct ordinates is a different object and is not determined by this formula alone.
In this notation the Riemann hypothesis says that every Nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function has real part one-half:
It concerns their horizontal location, not merely the growth of the ordinates, and does not assert that the zeros are simple. The functional equation and complex conjugation make the zero set symmetric about both the real axis and the critical line; the hypothesis puts all the Nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function on that line.
The Riemann hypothesis says that every Nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function of has real part . The Lindelöf hypothesis says that, for every ,
The exponent may be arbitrarily small; the implied constant may depend on that exponent. The next part proves the implication from the first hypothesis to the second.
Let be the Mertens function. Partial summation gives
For any , choose a sufficiently small with . The assumed bound makes the boundary term tend to zero and makes the integral absolutely convergent. Moreover, on each compact set of this half-plane, one can choose the same , so the integral has locally uniform convergence. Hence
is a holomorphic function on , agreeing with the reciprocal Dirichlet series from part (b) on .
The identity theorem applied to the holomorphic functions and extends their equality throughout ; the assumed simple pole makes the first function holomorphic at . Thus away from , proving a zero-free half-plane:
To obtain the strongest symmetric conclusion, use the following basic facts explicitly: the functional equation of the Riemann zeta function gives the entire function with , and the trivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function are the negative even integers. Every Nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function is therefore accompanied by its reflection . A Nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function with real part below would reflect to one above , which is impossible. Consequently all nontrivial zeros lie in the closed strip
The in the hypothesis prevents this argument from excluding either boundary line; the trivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function remain present.
The symmetric form of the functional equation of the Riemann zeta function is
The complex conjugation identity and the functional equation show that every Nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function is accompanied by , , and .
Let be the given nonreal zero. If , use itself; if , use , whose real part is . The resulting zero cannot have real part greater than one, by the stated zero-free half-plane. It therefore has real part in .
Write for the Mertens function. Suppose, to the contrary, that for some the quotient were bounded. Partial summation would then make
converge and define a holomorphic function throughout . In the Euler product identifies this function with , so analytic continuation would make holomorphic in that larger half-plane.
By assumption, has a nontrivial zero. The functional equation of the Riemann zeta function reflects one of that zero and its partner into , where must have a pole, a contradiction. Thus is unbounded, which gives an exceeding any prescribed constant .
Prime number theorem error from a logarithmic zero-free region Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-14
Suppose and every sufficiently high Nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function satisfies the displayed gap, with bounded heights also separated from one. The truncated explicit formula for the second Chebyshev function and the local zero count for the Riemann zeta function give errors and . Balance them by . This explains how the width of a zero-free region of the Riemann zeta function determines the exponential scale in the Prime number theorem error.
Riemann hypothesis Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24