Homemath.CAarXiv:2605.29991

Complex spectrum of the partial theta function

math.CAmath.CV2026-05v1license

Abstract

We study the complex spectrum of the partial theta function Θ(q,x)=j=0qj(j+1)/2xj,q<1, \Theta(q,x)=\sum_{j=0}^{\infty}q^{j(j+1)/2}x^j, \qquad |q|<1, where a spectral value is a parameter for which Θ(q,)\Theta(q,\cdot) has a multiple zero. Since the function is defined here only for q<1|q|<1, all spectral values are strictly inside the unit disk; boundary points on q=1|q|=1 occur only as accumulation points of the spectrum. The paper combines two complementary points of view. Near the unit circle we prove that every point of q=1|q|=1 is an accumulation point of the spectrum; the proof uses explicit spectral factors of truncations, the Jacobi triple product, and a boundary-window lifting argument near roots of unity. Inside a fixed subdisk, illustrated for q0.8|q|\leq 0.8, the true spectrum is locally finite and must be separated carefully from the much larger branch loci of truncations and Jensen polynomials. We give a truncation-seeded Newton procedure which produces a discrete list of candidate spectral values, explain the caustic/escaping-root mechanism in finite approximants, and record numerical monodromy experiments for the first dominating first-quadrant spectral points, for the second layer, and for the first negative real spectral points, with a separate warning about the natural base point on the negative real axis.

Comments: 24 pages, 6 figures

Cite

@article{arxiv.2605.29991,
  title  = {Complex spectrum of the partial theta function},
  author = {Boris Shapiro},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.29991},
  year   = {2026}
}