Generalized Kronecker formula for Bernoulli numbers and self-intersections of curves on a surface

Abstract

We present a new explicit formula for the $m$-th Bernoulli number $B_m$, which involves two integer parameters $a$ and $n$ with $0\le a\le m\le n$. If we set $a=0$ and $n=m$, then the formula reduces to the celebrated Kronecker formula for $B_m$. We give two proofs of our formula. One is analytic and uses a certain function in two variables. The other is algebraic and is motivated by a topological consideration of self-intersections of curves on an oriented surface.