Integration – Integral Representation of the Zeta Function ?(s)

integrationriemann-zetasequences-and-series

How does one get from this
$$\zeta(s)=\sum_{k=1}^{\infty}\frac1{k^s}$$
to the integral representation
$$\zeta(s)=\frac1{\Gamma(s)}\int_{0}^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x-1}dx$$
of the Riemann Zeta function?

I can see that it can be rewritten as

$$\Gamma(s)\zeta(s)=\int_{0}^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x-1}dx$$
and the Gamma function as an integral yields

$$\zeta(s)\int_{0}^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x}dx=\int_{0}^\infty \frac{x^{s-1}}{e^x-1}dx$$

But this approach does not work as the right integral does not converge. So how does one go from the summation to the integral representation?

Best Answer

Recall that for $t>1$, $$\frac{1}{t-1}=\sum_{n=1}^\infty t^{-n}$$

Then substitute $t=e^{x}$ for $x>0$.

Then substituting $x=\frac{v}{n}$ in the $n$th term of the integral, you get:

$$\int_0^{\infty} x^{s-1}e^{-nx}\,dx=\frac{1}{n^s}\int_0^\infty v^{s-1}e^{-v}dv = \frac{1}{n^s}\Gamma(s)$$