Complex Divisor Functions

Abstract

For any complex number $c$, let $\sigma_c\colon\mathbb N\rightarrow\mathbb C$ denote the divisor function defined by $\sigma_c(n)=\displaystyle{\sum_{d|n}d^c}$ for all $n\in\mathbb N$, and define $R(c)=\{\sigma_c(n)\in\mathbb C\colon n\in\mathbb N\}$ to be the range of $\sigma_c$. We study the basic topological properties of the sets $R(c)$. In particular, we determine the complex numbers $c$ for which $R(c)$ is bounded and determine the isolated points of the sets $R(c)$. In the third section, we find those values of $c$ for which $R(c)$ is dense in $\mathbb C$. We also prove some results and pose several open problems about the closures of the sets $R(c)$ when these sets are bounded.