Freezing Transition, Characteristic Polynomials of Random Matrices, and the Riemann Zeta-Function

We argue that the freezing transition scenario, previously explored in the statistical mechanics of 1/f-noise random energy models, also determines the value distribution of the maximum of the modulus of the characteristic polynomials of large N x N random unitary (CUE) matrices. We postulate that our results extend to the extreme values taken by the Riemann zeta-function zeta(s) over sections of the critical line s=1/2+it of constant length and present the results of numerical computations in support. Our main purpose is to draw attention to possible connections between the statistical mechanics of random energy landscapes, random matrix theory, and the theory of the Riemann zeta function.