Hyperbolic distance and distinct zeros of the Riemann zeta-function in small regions (Q4513071)

We denote by \(\rho_n= \beta_n+ i\gamma_n\) the sequence of distinct zeros of the Riemann zeta-function in the half strip \(S= \{s= \sigma+it: 0< \sigma< 1\), \(t> 0\}\) ordered so that \(\gamma_n\) is nondecreasing. \textit{D. E. Littlewood} [Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 22, 295-318 (1924; JFM 50.0230.01)] proved Theorem A. Suppose that \(T> T_0\). Then there exists \(m\) such that \[ |\gamma_m-T|< \frac{16} {\log \log \log T} . \] In this paper the above result is improved in two ways. Firstly, we show that 16 can be replaced by any constant greater than \(\pi/4\). Secondly we prove that the corresponding strips contain at least \(a\log \log \log T\) distinct zeros, where \(a\) is a constant. More precisely we prove Theorem 1. Let \(\nu(T,b)\) denote the number of distinct zeros of the zeta-function in the strip \((s= \sigma+ it\), \(0< \sigma< 1\), \(T\leq t\leq T+b)\). If \(b\log \log \log T\geq c\), where \(c\) is a constant greater than \(\pi/2\), then we have for sufficiently large \(T\) \[ \nu(T,b)> \frac{b}{140} (\log \log \log T)(\log \log \log T- \pi/(2b)). \tag{1} \] The first author obtained a corresponding result [J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 59, 65-75 (1999; Zbl 0936.11050)] but with an extra factor \((\log \log \log \log T)^2\) in the denominator of (1) and a correspondingly larger lower bound for \(b\). The further improvement of Littlewood's result is obtained by means of a sharpened form of a lemma on hyperbolic distance by the second author [p. 152 of Acta Math. 86, 89-191, 193-257 (1951; Zbl 0045.39602)] and the following extension of Carathéodory's inequality Theorem 4: Let \(f(z)\) be analytic in the disk \(\Delta= \{z\mid |z|< 1\}\) and suppose that \(f(0)= 0\), \(\sup \{\operatorname {Re}f(z)\), \(z\in \Delta\}= L\). For \(0< r< 1\), write \(M(r,f)= \max\{|f(z)|\); \(|z|\leq r\}\). Suppose further that \(0< r_1< r_2< 1\), and that \(M(r_1,f)= Lr_1^p\), where \(p> 0\). Then \[ M(r_2,f)< \frac{2Lr_2^p} {1-r_2^p}. \] The authors also obtain a lower bound for the number of zeros in a ``butterfly region'' \[ \{s: |t-T|< (\log\log T)^{-\kappa}+|\sigma- 1/2|\tan(\pi \alpha/2)\}, \quad 0<\sigma< 1, \] where \(0< \alpha< 1\), \(0< \kappa< \alpha/2\), and \(\alpha\), \(\kappa\) may be functions of \(T\), subject to certain restrictions.