De Bruijn-Newman constant

The De Bruijn-Newman constant, denoted by Λ, is a mathematical constant and is defined via the zeros of a certain function H(λ, z), where λ is a real parameter and z is a complex variable. H has only real zeros if and only if λ ≥ Λ. The constant is closely conected with the Riemann's hypothesis on the zeroes of the general Euler - Riemann's ζ-function. In brief, the Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to the conjecture that Λ ≤ 0.

De Bruijn in 1950 showed that Λ ≤ 1/2, according to Newman's work, who first estimated it would be Λ ≥ 0. Serious calculations on Λ have been made since 1988 and are still being made as we see from the table:

Year Lower bound on Λ

1988 -50

1991 -5

1990 -0.385

1994 -4.379 · 10 ^-6

1993 -5.895 · 10 ^-9

2000 -2.7 · 10 ^-9