A remarkable formula for the determinant of the Laplacian (Q1374782)

The authors give an alternative formula (to the original one) for the determinant \(\text{det} (\Delta)\) of the Laplacian \(\Delta\), for surfaces of genus at least two, in terms of the geodesic length spectrum. This new expression for the determinant allows rapid computation of the numerical value of the determinant associated to different surfaces. The authors analyze in complete detail the special case of certain surfaces of genus two. Similar results can be obtained in complete generality, too. The principal methods of this paper are the thermodynamic formalism of dynamical systems and the coding of closed geodesics using the Series-Adler-Flatto method.