#math.nt

Following our joint work arXiv:1003.4578 with Robert Langlands, we make the first steps toward developing geometric methods for analyzing trace formulas in the case of the function field of a curve defined over a finite field. We also suggest a conjectural framework of geometric trace formulas for curves defined over the complex field, which exploits the categorical version of the geometric Langlands correspondence.

The local Riemann hypothesis states that the zeros of the Mellin transform of a harmonic-oscillator eigenfunction (on a real or p-adic configuration space) have real part 1/2. For the real case, we show that the imaginary parts of these zeros are the eigenvalues of the Berry-Keating hamiltonian H=(xp+px)/2 projected onto the subspace of oscillator eigenfunctions of lower level. This gives a spectral proof of the local Riemann hypothesis for the reals, in the spirit of the Hilbert-Polya conjecture. The p-adic case is also discussed.

In August 2010, Ngo Bao Chau was awarded a Fields Medal for his deep work relating the Hitchin fibration to the Arthur-Selberg trace formula, and in particular for his proof of the Fundamental Lemma for Lie algebras. This article gives a brief introduction to his work for a general mathematical audience.