An explicit formula and its application to the Selberg trace formula (Q2494361)

Let \(X\) denote a compact Riemann surface of genus \(\geq 2\). Selberg proved a trace formula for \(X\) valid for test functions \(h\) satisfying certain conditions. On one side of the trace formula is a sum over values of \(h\) at ``spectral data'' and the other side is a sum over values of \(h\) at ``geometric data''. The main result of the authors is to weaken the conditions on \(h\) for which the trace formula is known to hold. Though these conditions are rather technical, the authors carefully verify the trace formula holds (for example) even for certain non-differentiable test functions \(h\) (provided the sums and integrals occuring in the trace formula are suitably interpreted). As an application, the authors show that, under the Riemann hypothesis, the logarithmic derivative of the Riemann zeta function, \(\frac{\zeta'}{\zeta}(\sigma + \text{it})\) for \(\frac{1}{2}<\sigma<2\), satisfies an inequality which is slightly better than the best previously known bound.