The Phase of the Riemann Zeta Function and the Inverted Harmonic Oscillator

Abstract

The Argand diagram is used to display some characteristics of the Riemann Zeta function. The zeros of the Zeta function on the complex plane give rise to an infinite sequence of closed loops, all passing through the origin of the diagram. This leads to the analogy with the scattering amplitude, and an approximate rule for the location of the zeros. The smooth phase of the Zeta function along the line of the zeros is related to the quantum density of states of an inverted oscillator.