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Jean-Paul Allouche

Publications and source records attributed to Jean-Paul Allouche.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Summation of rational series twisted by strongly B-multiplicative coefficients

We evaluate in closed form series of the type $\sum u(n) R(n)$, where $(u(n))_n$ is a strongly $B$-multiplicative sequence and $R(n)$ a (well-chosen) rational function. A typical example is: $$ \sum_{n \geq 1} (-1)^{s_2(n)} \frac{4n+1}{2n(2n+1)(2n+2)} = -\frac{1}{4} $$ where $s_2(n)$ is the sum of the binary digits of the integer $n$. Furthermore closed formulas for series involving automatic sequences that are not strongly $B$-multiplicative, such as the regular paperfolding and Golay-Shapiro-Rudin sequences, are obtained; for example, for integer $d \geq 0$: $$ \sum_{n \geq 0} \frac{v(n)}{(n+1)^{2d+1}} = \frac{π^{2d+1} |E_{2d}|}{(2^{2d+2}-2)(2d)!} $$ where $(v(n))_n$ is the $\pm 1$ regular paperfolding sequence and $E_{2d}$ is an Euler number.

math.NT↗

Variations on an error sum function for the convergents of some powers of $e$

Several years ago the second author playing with different "recognizers of real constants", e.g., the LLL algorithm, the Plouffe inverter, etc. found empirically the following formula. Let $p_n/q_n$ denote the $n$th convergent of the continued fraction of the constant $e$, then $$ \sum_{n \geq 0} |q_n e - p_n| = \frac{e}{4} \left(- 1 + 10 \sum_{n \geq 0} \frac{(-1)^n}{(n+1)! (2n^2 + 7n + 3)}\right). $$ The purpose of the present paper is to prove this formula and to give similar formulas for some powers of $e$.

math.NT↗

Paperfolding infinite products and the gamma function

Taking the product of (2n+1)/(2n+2) raised to the power +1 or -1 according to the n-th term of the Thue-Morse sequence gives rise to an infinite product P while replacing (2n+1)/(2n+2) with (2n)/(2n+1) yields an infinite product Q, where P = (1/2)(4/3)(6/5)(7/8)(10/9)... and Q = (2/3)(5/4)(7/6)(8/9)(11/10)... Though it is known that P = 2^{-1/2}, nothing is known about Q. Looking at the corresponding question when the Thue-Morse sequence is replaced by the regular paperfolding sequence, we obtain two infinite products A and B, where A = (1/2)(3/4)(6/5)(7/8)(9/10)... and B = (2/3)(4/5)(7/6)(8/9)(10/11)... Here nothing is known for A, but we give a closed form for B that involves the value of the gamma function at 1/4. We then prove general results where (2n+1)/(2n+2) or (2n)/(2n+1) are replaced by specific rational functions. The corresponding infinite products have a closed form involving gamma values. In some cases there is no explicit gamma value occurring in the closed-form formula, but only trigonometric functions.

math.NT↗

Beyond odious and evil

In a recent post on the Seqfan list the third author proposed a conjecture concerning the summatory function of odious numbers (i.e., of numbers whose sum of binary digits is odd), and its analog for evil numbers (i.e., of numbers whose sum of binary digits is even). We prove these conjectures here. We will also study the sequences of "generalized" odious and evil numbers, and their iterations, giving in particular a characterization of the sequences of usual odious and evil numbers in terms of functional equations satisfied by their compositions.

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A note on products involving zeta(3) and Catalan's constant

In a recent paper Kachi and Tzermias give elementary proofs of four product formulas involving zeta(3), pi, and Catalan's constant. They indicate that they were not able to deduce these products directly from the values of a function introduced in 1993 by Borwein and Dykshoorn. We provide here such a proof for two of these formulas. We also give a direct proof for the other two formulas, by using a generalization of the Borwein-Dykshoorn function due to Adamchik. Finally we give an expression of the Borwein-Dykshoorn function in terms of the "parameterized-Euler-constant function" introduced by Xia in 2013, which happens to be a particular case of the "generalized Euler constant function" introduced by K. and T. Hessami Pilehrood in 2010.

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Thue, Combinatorics on words, and conjectures inspired by the Thue-Morse sequence

Nous décrivons quelques résultats récents sur la suite de Thue-Morse, ainsi que des questions ou conjectures, dont l'une, due à Shevelev, est résolue dans cet article. We describe some recent results on the Thue-Morse sequence. We also list open questions and conjectures, one of which is due to Shevelev and proved in this paper.

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Quasicrystals, model sets, and automatic sequences

We survey mathematical properties of quasicrystals, first from the point of view of harmonic analysis, then from the point of view of morphic and automatic sequences. Nous proposons un tour d'horizon de propriétés mathématiques des quasicristaux, d'abord du point de vue de l'analyse harmonique, ensuite du point de vue des suites morphiques et automatiques.

math-ph↗

On a formula of T. Rivoal

In an unpublished 2005 paper T. Rivoal proved a formula giving 4/pi as the infinite product of factors (1 + 1/(k+1)) to a power involving the integer part of the logarithm of k in base 2 and a 4-periodic sequence. We show how a lemma in a 1988 paper of J. Shallit and the author allows us to prove that formula, as well as a family of similar formulas involving occurrences of blocks of digits in the base-B expansion of the integer k, where B is an integer larger than 1.

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Lacunary formal power series and the Stern-Brocot sequence

Let $F(X) = \sum_{n \geq 0} (-1)^{\varepsilon_n} X^{-λ_n}$ be a real lacunary formal power series, where $\varepsilon_n = 0, 1$ and $λ_{n+1}/λ_n > 2$. It is known that the denominators $Q_n(X)$ of the convergents of its continued fraction expansion are polynomials with coefficients $0, \pm 1$, and that the number of nonzero terms in $Q_n(X)$ is the $n$th term of the Stern-Brocot sequence. We show that replacing the index $n$ by any 2-adic integer $ω$ makes sense. We prove that $Q_ω(X)$ is a polynomial if and only if $ω\in {\mathbb Z}$. In all the other cases $Q_ω(X)$ is an infinite formal power series, the algebraic properties of which we discuss in the special case $λ_n = 2^{n+1} - 1$.

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On the Stern sequence and its twisted version

In a recent preprint on ArXiv, Bacher introduced a twisted version of the Stern sequence. His paper contains in particular three conjectures relating the generating series for the Stern sequence and for the twisted Stern sequence. Soon afterwards Coons published two papers in {\it Integers}: first he proved these conjectures, second he used his result to obtain a correlation-type identity for the Stern sequence. We recall here a simple result of Reznick and we state a similar result for the twisted Stern sequence. We deduce an easy proof of Coons' identity, and a simple proof of Bacher's conjectures. Furthermore we prove identities similar to Coons' for variations on the Stern sequence that include Bacher's sequence.

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Infinite products with strongly $B$-multiplicative exponents

Let $N_{1,B}(n)$ denote the number of ones in the $B$-ary expansion of an integer $n$. Woods introduced the infinite product $P :=\prod_{n \geq 0} (\frac{2n+1}{2n+2})^{(-1)^{N_{1,2}(n)}}$ and Robbins proved that $P = 1/\sqrt{2}$. Related products were studied by several authors. We show that a trick for proving that $P^2 = 1/2$ (knowing that $P$ converges) can be extended to evaluating new products with (generalized) strongly $B$-multiplicative exponents. A simple example is $$ \prod_{n \geq 0} (\frac{Bn+1}{Bn+2})^{(-1)^{N_{1,B}(n)}} = \frac{1}{\sqrt B}. $$

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Inconstancy of finite and infinite sequences

In order to study large variations or fluctuations of finite or infinite sequences (time series), we bring to light an 1868 paper of Crofton and the (Cauchy-)Crofton theorem. After surveying occurrences of this result in the literature, we introduce the inconstancy of a sequence and we show why it seems more pertinent than other criteria for measuring its variational complexity. We also compute the inconstancy of classical binary sequences including some automatic sequences and Sturmian sequences.

math.DG↗

Extremal properties of (epi)Sturmian sequences and distribution modulo 1

Starting from a study of Y. Bugeaud and A. Dubickas (2005) on a question in distribution of real numbers modulo 1 via combinatorics on words, we survey some combinatorial properties of (epi)Sturmian sequences and distribution modulo 1 in connection to their work. In particular we focus on extremal properties of (epi)Sturmian sequences, some of which have been rediscovered several times.

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Periodicity, repetitions, and orbits of an automatic sequence

We revisit a technique of S. Lehr on automata and use it to prove old and new results in a simple way. We give a very simple proof of the 1986 theorem of Honkala that it is decidable whether a given k-automatic sequence is ultimately periodic. We prove that it is decidable whether a given k-automatic sequence is overlap-free (or squareefree, or cubefree, etc.) We prove that the lexicographically least sequence in the orbit closure of a k-automatic sequence is k-automatic, and use this last result to show that several related quantities, such as the critical exponent, irrationality measure, and recurrence quotient for Sturmian words with slope alpha, have automatic continued fraction expansions if alpha does.

cs.DM↗

Univoque numbers and an avatar of Thue-Morse

Univoque numbers are real numbers $λ> 1$ such that the number 1 admits a unique expansion in base $λ$, i.e., a unique expansion $1 = \sum_{j \geq 0} a_j λ^{-(j+1)}$, with $a_j \in \{0, 1, ..., \lceil λ\rceil -1\}$ for every $j \geq 0$. A variation of this definition was studied in 2002 by Komornik and Loreti, together with sequences called {\em admissible sequences}. We show how a 1983 study of the first author gives both a result of Komornik and Loreti on the smallest admissible sequence on the set $\{0, 1, >..., b\}$, and a result of de Vries and Komornik (2007) on the smallest univoque number belonging to the interval $(b, b+1)$, where $b$ is any positive integer. We also prove that this last number is transcendental. An avatar of the Thue-Morse sequence, namely the fixed point beginning in 3 of the morphism $3 \to 31$, $2 \to 30$, $1 \to 03$, $0 \to 02$, occurs in a "universal" manner.

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Periodic unique beta-expansions: the Sharkovskii ordering

Let $β\in(1,2)$. Each $x\in[0,\frac{1}{β-1}]$ can be represented in the form \[ x=\sum_{k=1}^\infty ε_kβ^{-k}, \] where $ε_k\in\{0,1\}$ for all $k$ (a $β$-expansion of $x$). If $β>\frac{1+\sqrt5}{2}$, then, as is well known, there always exist $x\in(0,\frac1{β-1})$ which have a unique $\be$-expansion. In the present paper we study (purely) periodic unique $β$-expansions and show that for each $n\ge2$ there exists $β_n\in[\frac{1+\sqrt5}{2},2)$ such that there are no unique periodic $β$-expansions of smallest period $n$ for $β\leβ_n$ and at least one such expansion for $β>β_n$. Furthermore, we prove that $β_k<β_m$ if and only if $k$ is less than $m$ in the sense of the Sharkovski\uı ordering. We give two proofs of this result, one of which is independent, and the other one links it to the dynamics of a family of trapezoidal maps.

math.DS↗