The \(a\)-values of the Selberg zeta-function (Q393002)

\textit{R. Backlund} [Öfv. af Finska Vet. Soc. Förh. 61 A, Nr. 9, 8 S. (1918; JFM 47.0287.03)] proved that the Lindelöf hypothesis \(\zeta(1/2+\text{i}t)={\mathcal O}(|t|^\varepsilon)\) for any \(\varepsilon>0\) is equivalent to \(\#\{s\in\mathbb C\mid\zeta(s)=0,\text{Re }s\geq 1/2+\delta,T\leq\text{Im }s\leq T+1\}=o(\log T)\) for any \(\delta>0\). Motivated by this result and some other analogies between the Riemann zeta-function \(\zeta\) and the Selberg zeta function \(Z_M\) for a closed hyperbolic surface \(M\), the authors study the distribution of the \(a\)-values of \(Z_M\), i.e., those \(s\) such that \(Z_M(s)=a\). With the Euler product expression for \(Z_M\) and its functional equation, the authors remark the existence for every complex \(a\) of positive reals \(\tau_a\), \(A_a\) such that there is no \(a\)-values in the half-plane \(\{\text{Re}\,s\geq A_a\}\) and in the union \(\{\text{Re }s\leq 1-A_a, |\text{Im}\,s|\geq \tau_a\}\) of two quadrants. The \(a\)-values in the half-strip \(\{\text{Re}\,s\leq 1-A_a,|\text{Im }s|\leq \tau_a\}\) are said trivial : let \(N(a,T)\) be the counting function of the non trivial \(a\)-values \[ N(a,T)=\#\{s\in\mathbb C\mid Z_M(s)=a,\, 1-A_a\leq\text{Re}\,s\leq A_a,\,\tau_a\leq\text{Im}\,s\leq T\}. \] The authors prove \[ N(a,T) = (g_M-1)T^2+\begin{cases}-T\ell_M/{2\pi}+o(T)&\text{if } a=1,\\ o(T)&\text{if}\, a\neq 1.\end{cases} \] Here \(g_M\) (\(\geq 2\)) is the genus of the surface \(M\) and \(\ell_M\) its shortest closed geodesic length. Furthermore, the authors prove other asymptotics with the corollary that almost all non trivial \(a\)-values are arbitrary close to the critical line \(\{\text{Re}\,s=1/2\}\), even if there are many \(a\)-values off this line, distributed asymmetrically with respect to it. The proofs follow methods similar to those which are used for the classical zeta-functions or \(L\)-functions in analytic number theory.