On the de Bruijn-Newman constant (Q2389245)

The paper is concerned with zeros of certain entire functions that are related with the Riemann zeta-function. Denoting by \(\lambda^{(0)}\) the infimum of the set of real numbers \(\lambda\) such that the entire function \[ \Xi_{\lambda}(t) = \int_{0}^{\infty} e^{\frac{\lambda}{4} (\log\, x)^2 + \frac{i t}{2}} \left(x^{5/4} \sum\limits_{n=1}^{\infty} (2 n^4 \pi^2 x - 3 n^2 \pi) e^{- n^2 \pi x} \right) \frac{d x}{x} \] has only real zeros and define the de Bruijn-Newman constant \(\Lambda\) as \(\Lambda = 4 \lambda^{(0)}\). The Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to the inequality \(\Lambda \leq 0\). C.M. Newman proved that \(\Xi_{\lambda}\) has non-real zeros for some negative constant \(\lambda\). Consequently, there is a real constant \(\lambda^{(0)} \leq 1/8\) such that \(\Xi_{\lambda}\) has only real zeros when \(\lambda^{(0)} \leq \lambda\) but has non-real zeros when \(\lambda < \lambda^{(0)}\). In the paper it is shown that 1) the Bruijn-Newman constant \(\Lambda\) is less than \(1/2\); 2) the sequence of those values \(\lambda^{(m)}\) for which \(\Xi_{\lambda}^{(m)}\) has only real zeros is non-increasing, and its limit is \(\leq 0\); 3) for every \(\lambda > 0\), exept for a finite number all zeros of \(\Xi_{\lambda}\) are real and simple.