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This equation: $$\int_0^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x-1} dx=\Pi(s-1)\zeta(s) $$ was used by Riemann in his famous paper from 1859. Seemingly it follows from: $$ \int_0^\infty e^{-nx}x^{s-1}dx= \frac{\Pi(s-1)}{n^s}$$

a result achieved by repeated integration by parts. How does the first equation follows from the second?

tmaths
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Mister Set
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2 Answers2

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A faster way to find the second equation would be to simply make the substitution $u = nx$ which leads to :

$$ \int_0^\infty e^{-u} \left( \frac{u}{n}\right)^{s-1} \frac{du}{n} = \frac{\Pi(s-1)}{n^s} \quad \quad (*)$$

You can also write :

$$ \int_0^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x - 1}dx = \int_0^\infty e^{-x} x^{s-1}\frac{1}{1 - e^{-x}}dx$$

And, you can write (geometric series) :

$$ \forall x >0, \ \frac{1}{1 - e^{-x}} = \sum_{n=0}^\infty e^{-nx}$$

which leads to

$$ \int_0^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x - 1}dx = \int_0^\infty e^{-x} x^{s-1}\sum_{n=0}^\infty e^{-nx} dx $$

We can easily switch sum and integral, indeed :

$$ \forall n \in \mathbb N,\ \sum_{k=0}^n e^{-(n+1)x} x^{s-1} \leqslant e^{-x} x^{s-1} = \varphi(x) $$

so we can apply the dominated convergence theorem with $\varphi \in L^1(\mathbb R_+^*)$. Using $(*)$ :

$$ \int_0^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x - 1}dx = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{\Pi(s-1)}{(n+1)^s} $$

Which is exactly :

$$ \int_0^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x - 1}dx = \Pi(s-1)\zeta(s) $$

tmaths
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First we have that $$\int_0^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x-1}dx = \int_0^\infty x^{s-1}\sum _{n=0}^{\infty}e^{-nx}dx$$ Beliveing in uniform convergence we swap the sum and the integral to get $$\sum _{n=0}^{\infty}\int_0^\infty x^{s-1}e^{-nx}dx$$ with a simple change of variable, we set $nx = t$ so $dt = ndx$, then $$\sum _{n=0}^{\infty}\int_0^\infty x^{s-1}e^{-nx}dx = \sum _{n=0}^{\infty}\int_0^\infty \frac{1}{n}\left(\frac{t}{n}\right)^{s-1}e^{-t}dt = \underbrace{\sum_{n=0}^\infty n^{-s}}_{\text{Def. of }\zeta(s)}\underbrace{\int_0^\infty t^{s-1}e^{-t}dt}_{\text{Def. of }\Gamma(s)} = \zeta(s)\Gamma(s)$$ Just remember now the relation between the pi function and the Euler gamma function $$\Pi(z) = \Gamma(z+1)$$

Davide Morgante
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