On the thermodynamic formalism for the Gauss map

We study the generalized transfer operator of the Gauss mapTx=(1/x) mod 1 on the unit interval. This operator, which for =1 is the familiar Perron-Frobenius operator ofT, can be defined for Re >1/2 as a nuclear operator either on the Banach spaceA (D) of holomorphic functions over a certain discD or on the Hilbert space of functions belonging to some Hardy class of functions over the half planeH _–1/2. The spectra of on the two spaces are identical. On the space is isomorphic to an integral operator with kernel the Bessel function and hence to some generalized Hankel transform. This shows that has real spectrum for real >1/2. On the spaceA (D) the operator can be analytically continued to the entire -plane with simple poles at and residue the rank 1 operator . From this similar analyticity properties for the Fredholm determinant of and hence also for Ruelle's zeta function follow. Another application is to the function , where n] denotes the irrationaln]=(n+(n ²+4)^1/2)/2. M() extends to a meromorphic function in the -plane with the only poles at =±1 both with residue 1.