On a GL(3) analog of \(|{} \eta{} (z)|\) (Q1183262)

The author gives a \(GL(3)\) analogue of Kronecker's first limit formula, and applies it to the study of the constant Laurent coefficient of the Dedekind zeta functions of cubic fields. His limit formula expresses the constant coefficient in the Laurent expansion of the maximal parabolic Eisenstein series on \(GL(3)\) (normalized to have simple poles at \(s=0,1\)) at \(s=1\) in terms of a function \(g(\tau)\) which may be though of as a \(GL(3)\) analogue of \(| \eta(z)|\). He shows that the function \(g(\tau)\) is \(SL(3,Z)\)-automorphic and that \(\log g(\tau)\) is annihilated by the (rank two) algebra of group-invariant differential operators. The application to the Dedekind zeta functions of cubic fields is obtained by first establishing the relationship between the maximal parabolic Eisenstein series and the Epstein zeta function of a ternary quadratic form. He then gives an analogue of Hecke's trick. This allows him to prove that in the complex (resp. real) case the Dedekind zeta function is equal to the integral of the maximal parabolic Eisenstein series along a certain curve (resp. in a certain region), which depends on the field and ideal class. This allows one to express the constant term at \(s=1\). Limit formulae for Epstein zeta-functions go back to Epstein's original paper; they were brought into the context of automorphic forms on \(GL(n)\) by a \textit{A. Terras} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 183, 477-486 (1973; Zbl 0274.10039)]. The function \(g(\tau)\) first appeared in the \(GL(3)\) limit formula of \textit{D. Bump} and \textit{D. Goldfeld} [Modular forms, Symp. Durham 1983, 43-49 (1984; Zbl 0557.10024)], which was based on minimal rather than maximal parabolic Eisenstein series.