The twisted Selberg trace formula and the twisted Selberg zeta function for compact orbifolds (Q6174831)

In the present article, the theory of the Selberg zeta function for compact spaces is extended to non-unitary twists. The Selberg zeta function counts closed geodesics on a locally symmetric space \(\Gamma\backslash G/K\), where \(G\) is a semisimple Lie group, \(K\) a maximal compact subgroup and \(\Gamma\) a cocompact lattice. It is defined as a product \[ Z(s)=\prod_{c}\prod_{k\ge 0}\det\big(1-e^{-s\ell(c)}m_c\big), \] where \(\ell(c)\) is the length of the geodesic and \(m_c\) the monodromy map. Twisting with a flat bundle, one can replace \(m_c\) by \(m_c\otimes\omega(c)\), where \(\omega(c)\) stands for parallel transport. This product converges for \(\mathrm{Re}(s)\) sufficiently large. If the bundle is flat hermitian, which is to say that \(\omega(c)\) is unitary, it is long known that the zeta function possesses an analytic continuation to a meromorphic function on \(\mathbb C\). In the general case, this can be proven using the cohomological approach of \textit{A. Juhl} [Cohomological theory of dynamical zeta functions. Basel: Birkhäuser (2001; Zbl 1099.37017) and \textit{A. Deitmar} [Q. J. Math., Oxf. II. Ser. 47, No. 188, 435--453 (1996; Zbl 1058.11543)]. In the present paper, the meromorphicity is shown in the case of hyperbolic spaces of odd dimension. The author uses the trace formula applied to the heat operator. This approach poses hefty analytical problems, which makes the paper technically demanding.