Weierstrass functions 2026-10-14
Associated with a period lattice are the Weierstrass sigma, zeta, eta and elliptic functions. They satisfy and ; the eta constants record quasi-period increments of the Weierstrass zeta function.
For a period lattice, the displayed canonical product converges normally because its logarithmic tails are bounded by a constant times . It defines an odd entire function with simple zeros exactly at the lattice and derivative one at zero. Its logarithmic derivative is the Weierstrass zeta function, and the derivative of that logarithmic derivative is minus the Weierstrass elliptic function. Sigma is quasi-periodic rather than elliptic; balanced products of its translates construct meromorphic functions with prescribed divisors on a complex torus.
For a nonzero elliptic function with period lattice , its zeros of a function and poles , repeated with their multiplicities, have equal total number and satisfy . Choose a fundamental parallelogram avoiding all zeros and poles on its boundary. The argument principle applied to gives equality of the numbers. Applying the residue theorem to gives their difference of sums. Pairing opposite edges, the extra factors are the two lattice generators multiplied by integrals of along an edge. These integrals are integer multiples of , because the endpoints have the same nonzero function value. Thus the difference of sums is a lattice element. This links zeros of a pulled-back line to the chord-and-tangent group law.