Open problems

Questions under active investigation.

The research programme has, from the beginning, stated its open questions explicitly. The problems below range from tractable student-level investigations to deep questions about the connection between the Tesfa Grid and the Riemann zeta function.

Zeta function and Riemann Hypothesis

OP 1The Tesfa-Zeta Conjecture

Does the Fourier transform of the Tesfa Grid residuals ε(j), computed in logarithmic column-index space, converge as C → ∞ to a spectrum whose peaks coincide exactly with the imaginary parts γ_n of the non-trivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function? Volume II presents strong empirical support. An analytic proof remains open.

OP 2Null-to-gap alignment

The Harmonic Sieve nulls occur at frequencies f_k = k/C. Prove (or disprove) that these nulls are positioned between consecutive γ_n values, making the Tesfa operator a natural band-pass filter for zeta-zero frequencies.

OP 3Matched-filter amplitude formula

Derive an analytic expression for the matched-filter z-score z(γ_n) as a function of grid width C, zero index n, and the Tesfa operator transfer function. If the formula implies z(γ_n) → ∞ as C → ∞, the Tesfa-Zeta Conjecture follows.

OP 4Critical line constraint

Can the Tesfa spectral framework constrain the real part of the zeta zeros to Re(ρ) = 1/2, providing a new path to the Riemann Hypothesis, one rooted in discrete geometric sieving rather than in contour integration or random matrix theory?

Grid structure and prime distribution

OP 5Modular generalization of structural prime exclusion

Theorem IV establishes a structural prime-exclusion property for the canonical grid. For what broader class of parameter triples (a, d, C) does an analogous exclusion theorem hold? Is there a modular characterization?

OP 6Twin prime row symmetry

Twin primes concentrate in two specific structural classes within the grid, with approximately symmetric density (~35% each for primes up to 1,200). Is this symmetry asymptotic? Does it provide a new angle on the Twin Prime Conjecture?

OP 7Perfect number factorization

The first two perfect numbers (6 and 28) always fall in the upper block of the grid; the third (496) in the lower. Does the Euclid–Euler formula 2^(n−1)(2^n − 1) admit a natural Tesfa Grid factorization? Volume III provides a classification; an algebraic proof for all perfect numbers is open.

OP 8Generalized Tesfa grids

The canonical Tesfa Grid construction is tied to the mod-6 structure of primes. Do generalizations with different row counts exhibit analogous structural properties for higher residue moduli (e.g. mod 30, mod 210)? Is there a family of structurally-related grids, each tuned to a different small primorial?

Harmonic Sieve and spectral analysis

OP 9Grid suppression conjecture

The Harmonic Sieve produces low-frequency power enhancement for the prime sequence at Z ≈ 17σ. Prove analytically that the expected LF power ratio for prime inputs differs from the random baseline by a specific amount depending only on C.

OP 10Dynamic width scaling

The cross-cycle residual correlation decays from 0.80 at W = 116 to 0.31 at 12 cycles. Would a dynamically-scaled width W(n) ∝ ln(n) maintain maximum resonance across unbounded prime ranges? Characterize the optimal scaling function.

OP 11L-function connections

The zeta function is the simplest of the L-functions. Does the Tesfa Grid residual spectrum also align with zeros of Dirichlet L-functions, automorphic L-functions, or Selberg zeta functions? Is there a family of modified Tesfa operators, each tuned to a different L-function?

If you are working on any of these problems or have a partial result to share, correspondence is welcomed.

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