Dynamical zeta functions for Artin''s billiard and the Venkov-Zograf factorization formula

Dynamical zeta functions are expected to relate the Schrödinger operator's spectrum to the periodic orbits of the corresponding fully chaotic Hamiltonian system. The relationship is exact in the case of surfaces of constant negative curvature. The recently found factorization of the Selberg zeta function for the modular surface is known to correspond to a decomposition of the Schrödinger operator's eigenfunctions into two sets obeying different boundary condition on Artin's billiard. Here we express zeta functions for Artin's billiard in terms of generalized transfer operators, providing thereby a new dynamical proof of the above interpretation of the factorization formula. This dynamical proof is then extended to the Artin-Venkov-Zograf formula for finite coverings of the modular surface.