Definition
The Riemann zeta function ζ(s) is a function of a complex variable s = σ + it (here, s, σ and t are traditional notations associated with the study of the ζ-function). The following infinite series converges for all complex numbers s with real part greater than 1, and defines ζ(s) in this case:
The Riemann zeta function is defined as the analytic continuation of the function defined for σ > 1 by the sum of the preceding series.
Leonhard Euler considered the above series in 1740 for positive integer values of s, and later Chebyshev extended the definition to real s > 1.
The above series is a prototypical Dirichlet series that converges absolutely to an analytic function for s such that σ > 1 and diverges for all other values of s. Riemann showed that the function defined by the series on the half-plane of convergence can be continued analytically to all complex values s ≠ 1. For s = 1 the series is the harmonic series which diverges to +∞, and
Thus the Riemann zeta function is a meromorphic function on the whole complex s-plane, which is holomorphic everywhere except for a simple pole at s = 1 with residue 1.
Read more about this topic: Riemann Zeta Function
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