Triple correlation of the Riemann zeros

Abstract

We use the conjecture of Conrey, Farmer and Zirnbauer for averages of ratios of the Riemann zeta function to calculate all the lower order terms of the triple correlation function of the Riemann zeros. A previous approach was suggested in 1996 by Bogomolny and Keating taking inspiration from semi-classical methods. At that point they did not write out the answer explicitly, so we do that here, illustrating that by our method all the lower order terms down to the constant can be calculated rigourously if one assumes the ratios conjecture of Conrey, Farmer and Zirnbauer. Bogomolny and Keating returned to their previous results simultaneously with this current work, and have written out the full expression. The result presented in this paper agrees precisely with their formula, as well as with our numerical computations, which we include here. We also include an alternate proof of the triple correlation of eigenvalues from random U(N) matrices which follows a nearly identical method to that for the Riemann zeros, but is based on the theorem for averages of ratios of characteristic polynomials.