The Arakawa-Kaneko zeta function (Q5962076)

For a positive integer \(k\geq 1\), \textit{T. Arakawa} and \textit{M. Kaneko} [Nagoya Math. J. 153, 189--209 (1999; Zbl 0932.11055)] studied the function \(\xi_k(s)\) defined by the integral \[ \xi_k(s) =\frac{1}{\Gamma(s)}\int^{+\infty}_{0}\frac{t^{s-1}}{e^t-1}\mathrm{Li}_k(1-e^{-t})\,dt, \] where \(\mathrm{Li}_k\) is the \(k\)th polylogarithm. This is essentially a generalization of the Riemann zeta-function \(\zeta(s)\); \(\xi_1(s)=s\zeta(s+1)\). It was shown that the function \(\xi_k(s)\) can be continued analytically to the whole \(s\)-plane as an entire function. Moreover, they showed that the special values of \(\xi_k(s)\) at non-positive integers are expressed by the poly-Bernoulli number \(B^{(k)}_n\), which is a generalization of the Bernoulli number, and the values at positive integers can be written in terms of the multiple zeta star values. In this paper, the authors consider a natural generalization of \(\xi_k(s)\). Namely, for \(x>0\), they introduce the function \[ \xi_k(s,x) =\frac{1}{\Gamma(s)}\int^{+\infty}_{0}e^{-xt}\frac{\mathrm{Li}_k(1-e^{-t})}{1-e^{-t}}t^{s-1}\,dt. \] Notice that this also gives a generalization of the Hurwitz zeta function \(\zeta(s,x)\); \(\xi_1(s,x)=s\zeta(s+1,x)\). By a classical method, they first give an analytic continuation of \(\xi_k(s,x)\) to the whole \(s\)-plane and then express the special values at non-positive integers by a polynomial \(B^{(k)}_n(x)\), which is a natural generalization of \(B^{(k)}_n\). Furthermore, they obtain an expression of the special values at positive integers in terms of the modified Bell polynomial. This includes the Hasse formula for the Hurwitz zeta function as the case \(k=1\). Finally, using a sum formula for the multiple zeta star values obtained by \textit{Y. Ohno} [Zeta functions, topology and quantum physics. Dev. Math. 14, 131--144 (2005; Zbl 1170.11326)], the authors establish a formula connecting Euler sums and the Riemann zeta values.