Modular functions and Dirichlet series in number theory. 2nd ed. (English) Zbl 0697.10023

Apostol, Tom M.

Graduate Texts in Mathematics, 41. New York etc.: Springer-Verlag. x, 204 p. DM 98.00 (1990).

The book under review is the second edition (for a review of the first (1976) see Zbl 0332.10017). The first was an excellent book that fully lived up to its intent as stated in the preface: “It is hoped that these volumes will help the nonspecialist becomes acquainted with an important and fascinating part of mathematics and, at the same time, will provide some of the background that belongs to the repertory of every specialist in the field”.
This second addition differs very little from the first. The major difference is a very useful supplement to Chapter 3 on the Dedekind \(\eta\)-function. In that chapter, a proof of the functional equation for this function is given using Iseki’s transformation formula, a very general relation involving log \(\eta\) (\(\tau)\). The alternate proof given in the supplement (suggested by B. Gordon) is much simpler, relying on the fact that the modular group has two generators, for which the functional equation is much easier to establish.
To conclude, this book will be high on the reviewer’s recommendation list for new students in the subject, as it has always been.

Reviewer: J.L.Hafner

MSC:

11F03	Modular and automorphic functions
11-01	Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to number theory
11F67	Special values of automorphic \(L\)-series, periods of automorphic forms, cohomology, modular symbols
11F11	Holomorphic modular forms of integral weight
11G15	Complex multiplication and moduli of abelian varieties
11P81	Elementary theory of partitions
30B50	Dirichlet series, exponential series and other series in one complex variable
30F35	Fuchsian groups and automorphic functions (aspects of compact Riemann surfaces and uniformization)
11M35	Hurwitz and Lerch zeta functions

Keywords:

modular functions; moduar forms; Dirichlet series; elliptic functions; Rademacher series; partition functions; Lehner congruences; Fourier coefficients; j-function; Dedekind \(\eta\)-function; transformation formula; modular group

Citations:

Zbl 0332.10017