The second pole of Witten zeta functions and exact evaluations in types F4 and D5

Abstract

Let Phi be an irreducible reduced crystallographic root system of rank r at least 2, let N = |Phi^+| be the number of positive roots, and let h be its Coxeter number. For the normalized Witten zeta function xi_Phi, we determine the first distinct pole below the leading pole 2/h. It is located at q_2(Phi) = (r-1)/(N-1) = 2(r-1)/(rh-2), is simple, and receives contributions precisely from the codimension-one faces of the dominant chamber. Its residue is zeta_R(q_2)/(N-1) times the sum of the corresponding wall periods, where zeta_R denotes the Riemann zeta function. These periods are finite and positive, so the residue is strictly negative. We also prove a Stokes relation for projective hyperplane-arrangement periods. Let A be an essential central real arrangement in R^n with weights lambda_H strictly between 0 and 1. Suppose that the sum of lambda_H over all H in A equals n, and that for every nonzero proper intersection flat X the sum of lambda_H over those H containing X is strictly less than the codimension of X. Then the vector of positive chamber periods lies in the kernel of the Varchenko matrix with weights exp(pi i lambda_H). Applying this relation, we evaluate the relevant wall periods in types F4 and D5. A two-orbit reduction and Dixon's 3F2(1) summation give a gamma-product evaluation in type F4, while a four-orbit reduction and Selberg's integral give a gamma-product evaluation of the complete wall sum in type D5. Consequently, we obtain exact formulas for the normalized and ordinary Witten zeta residues at 3/23 and 4/19.