Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / iii / Paper 137 / 3

Use the valence formula for the modular group: for a nonzero modular form of weight $k$ on $S{L}_2(\mathbb{Z})$,The sum contains one representative of each other modular group orbit of zeros. The orders are nonnegative because $f$ is holomorphic on the complex upper half-plane and at infinity. The half and third weights account for the elliptic stabilizers of the modular group.

In weight two, the transformation under $S=\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& -1\\ 1& 0\end{array}\right)$ at its fixed point gives $f(i)=i^{2}f(i)=-f(i)$. Thus any nonzero $f$ would have $v_i(f)\ge 1$. The valence formula for the modular group would give a left side at least $1/2$ and a right side $1/6$, which is impossible. Therefore the unheaded request is answered by vanishing of weight-two level-one modular forms:

The displayed definition uses iterated Eisenstein summation in weight two: the sum in $n$ is evaluated before the sum in $m$, with the single $(0,0)$ term omitted. This order is essential. The two-dimensional lattice series does not have absolute convergence, so arbitrary rearrangement would not be justified.

For noninteger $w$, the cosecant partial-fraction identity isFor completeness, apply the residue theorem to $\pi \cot (\pi \zeta )/(\zeta -w{)}^2$ on squares with large half-integer sides. The cotangent is bounded on the contours and the integral is $O(R^{-1})$. Its residues at the integers are $(n-w{)}^{-2}$ and its residue at $w$ is $-{\pi }^2{\csc }^2(\pi w)$, proving the formula. If $\mathrm{Im}w>0$, the geometric-series expression $\cot (\pi w)=-i(1+2{\sum }_{r\ge 1}{e}^{2\pi irw})$, differentiated termwise, gives the cotangent partial-fraction Fourier kernel

Put $q=e^{2\pi iz}$ with $z$ in the complex upper half-plane. For positive $m$, this gives $-4{\pi }^2{\sum }_{r\ge 1}r{q}^{mr}$. Negative $m$ gives the same value, by replacing $n$ with $-n$ in its inner sum. The $m=0$ row is ${\sum }_{n\ne 0}{n}^{-2}={\pi }^2/3$, by the Basel problem. The resulting series in $m,r$ does have absolute convergence, locally uniformly in $z$, so collecting the coefficient at $q^{\ell }$ is legitimate:The coefficient is the sum-of-divisors function, since $r$ runs over the positive divisors of $\ell$. ThusThere is no conflict with vanishing of weight-two level-one modular forms: the Eisenstein series of weight two has an anomalous transformation term, so it is not a weight-two modular form.

Write $D=(2\pi i{)}^{-1}d/dz=qd/dq$ and use the Serre derivative $D_{k}f=Df-(k/12)E_{2}f$. Translation invariance of $f$ and the Eisenstein series of weight two gives $D_{k}f(z+1)=D_{k}f(z)$.

Differentiate the weight-$k$ transformation $f(-1/z)=z^{k}f(z)$. The chain rule yieldsThe assumed transformation of the Eisenstein series of weight two givesSubtracting cancels the extra term. Hence $D_{k}f(-1/z)=z^{k+2}{D}_{k}f(z)$. Since $S$ and $T=\left(\begin{array}{cc}1& 1\\ 0& 1\end{array}\right)$ generate the modular group, these two transformations prove the weight-$k+2$ law for all its elements. Holomorphy on the complex upper half-plane follows from the formula.

For the Fourier expansion of a modular form $f={\sum }_{n\ge 0}{a}_n{q}^n$, differentiation gives $Df={\sum }_{n\ge 1}n{a}_n{q}^n$. The product of the convergent series for $E_2$ and $f$ likewise has no negative powers. Thus $D_{k}f$ is holomorphic at a cusp at infinity, and therefore at every cusp of the modular group. Its constant coefficient is $-k{a}_0/12$. Since $k>0$, it vanishes exactly when $a_0=0$. Consequently

Apply the Serre derivative in weight twelve to the modular discriminant. The preceding result makes $D_{12}\Delta =D\Delta -E_2\Delta$ a weight-fourteen cusp form. The vanishing of weight-fourteen level-one cusp forms follows directly from the valence formula for the modular group: a nonzero such form has order at infinity at least one, and $f(i)=i^{14}f(i)=-f(i)$ forces order at $i$ at least one. Thus its weighted number of zeros would be at least $1+1/2>14/12$, a contradiction. Therefore $D\Delta =E_2\Delta$.

Compare the Fourier coefficients at positive indices using $\Delta ={\sum }_{n\ge 1}\tau (n)q^n$ and $E_2=1-24{\sum }_{r\ge 1}{\sigma }_1(r)q^r$. This gives $n\tau (n)=\tau (n)-24{\sum }_{r=1}^{n-1}{\sigma }_1(r)\tau (n-r)$. For the Ramanujan tau function, the concise recurrence isAt $n=1$ the sum is empty and both sides are zero; normalization supplies $\tau (1)=1$. For instance the next coefficient is $\tau (2)=-24$.