On the location of poles of Ruelle's zeta-function (Q1098461)

We discuss examples of one-dimensional lattice spin systems of classical statistical mechanics whose generalized zeta function has all its poles and zeros on the real axis. The close relation between certain hyperbolic dynamical systems and these spin systems lets one expect that this is also true for some of the dynamical systems. In fact, we have found several one-dimensional expansive systems, among them the Gauss map whose zeta functions have their zeros, respectively their poles, on the real axis. Such a behaviour is closely related to the spectral properties of the systems transfer operator which in the cases considered is a positive nuclear operator in a Banach space of holomorphic functions. We formulate a general conjecture concerning the spectrum of this class of operators.