Fractal geometry and number theory. Complex dimensions of fractal strings and zeros of zeta functions (Q4939495)

Physics and (analytic) number theory are related in many ways (to quote but one reference see \textit{B. Julia}, ``Statistical theory of numbers'' [Number theory and physics, Proc. Phys. 47, 276-293 (1990; Zbl 0727.11033)]). Number theorists and physicists will be delighted by the book under review. The authors define and study complex dimensions for fractal strings, where a fractal string is a one-dimensional drum, whose boundary is fractal. These dimension are the poles of suitable zeta functions and they describe the oscillations of the fractal strings. As the authors point out in the introduction, a long term objective of this work is to merge aspects of fractal, spectral, and arithmetic geometries. We finally note that the authors propose a new attractive definition of fractality (see p. 201).