Linear Forms in Polylogarithms

Abstract

Let $r, \,m$ be positive integers. Let $x$ be a rational number with $0 \le x <1$. Consider $\Phi_s(x,z) =\displaystyle\sum_{k=0}^{\infty}\frac{z^{k+1}}{{(k+x+1)}^s}$ the $s$-th Lerch function with $s=1, 2, \cdots, r$. When $x=0$, this is a polylogarithmic function. Let $\alpha_1, \cdots, \alpha_m$ be pairwise distinct algebraic numbers of arbitrary degree over the rational number field, with $0<|\alpha_j|<1 \,\,\,(1\leq j \leq m)$. In this article, we show a criterion for the linear independence, over an algebraic number field containing $\mathbb{Q}(\alpha_1, \cdots, \alpha_m)$, of all the $rm+1$ numbers : $\Phi_1(x,\alpha_1)$, $\Phi_2(x,\alpha_1), $ $\cdots , \Phi_r(x,\alpha_1)$, $\Phi_1(x,\alpha_2)$, $\Phi_2(x,\alpha_2), $ $\cdots , \Phi_r(x,\alpha_2), \cdots, \cdots, \Phi_1(x,\alpha_m)$, $\Phi_2(x,\alpha_m)$, $\cdots , \Phi_r(x,\alpha_m)$ and $1$. This is the first result that gives a sufficient condition for the linear independence of values of the Lerch functions at several distinct algebraic points, not necessarily lying in the rational number field nor in quadratic imaginary fields. We give a complete proof with refinements and quantitative statements of the main theorem announced in [10], together with a proof in detail on the non-vanishing Wronskian of Hermite type.