These notes present recent results in the value-distribution theory of L-functions with emphasis on the phenomenon of universality. Universality has a strong impact on the zero-distribution: Riemann’s hypothesis is true only if the Riemann zeta-function can approximate itself uniformly. The text proves universality for polynomial Euler products. The authors’ approach follows mainly Bagchi's probabilistic method. Discussion touches on related topics: almost periodicity, density estimates, Nevanlinna theory, and functional independence.

These notes present recent results in the value-distribution theory of L-functions with emphasis on the phenomenon of universality. Universality has a strong impact on the zero-distribution: Riemann’s hypothesis is true only if the Riemann zeta-function can approximate itself uniformly. The text proves universality for polynomial Euler products. The authors’ approach follows mainly Bagchi's probabilistic method. Discussion touches on related topics: almost periodicity, density estimates, Nevanlinna theory, and functional independence.

Since the pioneering work of Euler, Dirichlet, and Riemann, the analytic properties of L-functions have been used to study the distribution of prime numbers. With the advent of the Langlands Program, L-functions have assumed a greater role in the study of the interplay between Diophantine questions about primes and representation theoretic properties of Galois representations. This book provides a complete introduction to the most significant class of L-functions: the Artin-Hecke L-functions associated to finite-dimensional representations of Weil groups and to automorphic L-functions of principal type on the general linear group. In addition to establishing functional equations, growth estimates, and non-vanishing theorems, a thorough presentation of the explicit formulas of Riemann type in the context of Artin-Hecke and automorphic L-functions is also given. The survey is aimed at mathematicians and graduate students who want to learn about the modern analytic theory of L-functions and their applications in number theory and in the theory of automorphic representations. The requirements for a profitable study of this monograph are a knowledge of basic number theory and the rudiments of abstract harmonic analysis on locally compact abelian groups.

This monograph serves as a self-contained introduction to Nevanlinna's theory of value distribution as well as a valuable reference for research specialists. Authors present, for the first time in book form, the most modern and refined versions of the Second Main Theorem with precise error terms, in both the geometric and logarithmic derivative based approaches. A unique feature of the monograph is its number theoretic digressions These special sections assume no background in number theory and explore the exciting interconnections between Nevanlinna theory and the theory of Diophantine approximation.

The aim of the series is to present new and important developments in pure and applied mathematics. Well established in the community over two decades, it offers a large library of mathematics including several important classics. The volumes supply thorough and detailed expositions of the methods and ideas essential to the topics in question. In addition, they convey their relationships to other parts of mathematics. The series is addressed to advanced readers wishing to thoroughly study the topic. Editorial Board Lev Birbrair, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brasil Victor P. Maslov, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia Walter D. Neumann, Columbia University, New York, USA Markus J. Pflaum, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA Dierk Schleicher, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany

Based on the successful 7th China-Japan seminar on number theory conducted in Kyushu University, this volume is a compilation of survey and semi-survey type of papers by the participants of the seminar. The topics covered range from traditional analytic number theory to elliptic curves and universality. This volume contains new developments in the field of number theory from recent years and it provides suitable problems for possible new research at a level which is not unattainable. Timely surveys will be beneficial to a new generation of researchers as a source of information and these provide a glimpse at the state-of-the-art affairs in the fields of their research interests.

The Lerch zeta-function is the first monograph on this topic, which is a generalization of the classic Riemann, and Hurwitz zeta-functions. Although analytic results have been presented previously in various monographs on zeta-functions, this is the first book containing both analytic and probability theory of Lerch zeta-functions. The book starts with classical analytical theory (Euler gamma-functions, functional equation, mean square). The majority of the presented results are new: on approximate functional equations and its applications and on zero distribution (zero-free regions, number of nontrivial zeros etc). Special attention is given to limit theorems in the sense of the weak convergence of probability measures for the Lerch zeta-function. From limit theorems in the space of analytic functions the universitality and functional independence is derived. In this respect the book continues the research of the first author presented in the monograph Limit Theorems for the Riemann zeta-function. This book will be useful to researchers and graduate students working in analytic and probabilistic number theory, and can also be used as a textbook for postgraduate students.