arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Pieter Moree.
We prove that of all two-dimensional lattices of covolume 1 the hexagonal lattice has asymptotically the fewest distances. An analogous result for dimensions 3 to 8 was proved in 1991 by Conway and Sloane. Moreover, we give a survey of some related literature, in particular progress on a conjecture from 1995 due to Schmutz Schaller.
We study the integer sequence v_n of numbers of lines in hypersurfaces of degree 2n-3 of P^n, n>1. We prove a number of congruence properties of these numbers of several different types. Furthermore, the asymptotics of the v_n are described (in an appendix by Don Zagier). An attempt is made at a similar analysis of two other enumerative sequences: the number of rational plane curves and the number of instantons in the quintic threefold.
The multplicative order of an integer g modulo a prime p, with p coprime to g, is defined to be the smallest positive integer k such that g^k is congruent to 1 modulo p. For fixed integers g and d the distribution of this order over residue classes mod d is considered as p runs over the primes. An overview is given of the most significant of my results on this problem obtained (mainly) in the three part series of papers `On the distribution of the order and index of g (modulo p) over residue classes' I-III (appeared in the Journal of Number Theory, also available from the ArXiv).
Duadic codes are a class of cyclic codes that generalizes quadratic residue codes from prime to composite lengths. For every prime power q, we characterize the integers n such that over the finite field with q^2 elements there is a duadic code of length n having an Hermitian self-dual parity-check extension. We derive using analytic number theory asymptotic estimates for the number of such n as well as for the number of lengths for which duadic codes exist.
Split group codes are a class of group algebra codes over an abelian group. They were introduced in 2000 by Ding, Kohel and Ling as a generalization of the cyclic duadic codes. For a prime power q and an abelian group G of order n such that n and q are coprime, consider the group algebra F_{q^2}[G^{*}] of F_{q^2} over the dual group G^{*} of G. We prove that every ideal code in F_{q^{2}}[G^{*}] whose extended code is Hermitian self-dual is a split group code. We characterize the orders of finite abelian groups G for which an ideal code of F_{q^2}[G^{*}] whose extension is Hermitian self-dual exists and derive asymptotic estimates for the number of non-isomorphic abelian groups with this property.
Let m>=1 be an arbitrary fixed integer and let N_m(x) count the number of odd integers u<=x such that the order of 2 modulo u is not divisible by m. In case m is prime estimates for N_m(x) were given by H. Mueller that were subsequently sharpened into an asymptotic estimate by the present author. Mueller on his turn extended the author's result to the case where m is a prime power and gave bounds in the case m is not a prime power. Here an asymptotic for N_m(x) is derived that is valid for all integers m. This asymptotic would easily have followed from Mueller's approach were it not for the fact that a certain Diophantine equation has non-trivial solutions. All solutions of this equation are determined. We also generalize to other base numbers than 2. For a very sparse set of these numbers Mueller's approach does work.
Given a formal power series f(z) we define, for any positive integer r, its rth Witt transform, W_f^{(r)}, by rW_f^{(r)}(z)=sum_{d|r}mu(d)f(z^d)^{r/d}, where mu is the Moebius function. The Witt transform generalizes the necklace polynomials M(a,n) that occur in the cyclotomic identity 1-ay=prod (1-y^n)^{M(a,n)}, where the product is over all positive integers. Several properties of the Witt transform are established. Some examples relevant to number theory are considered.
Very odd sequences were introduced in 1973 by J. Pelikan who conjectured that there were none of length >=5. This conjecture was disproved by MacWilliams and Odlyzko in 1977 who proved there are in fact many very odd sequences. We give connections of these sequences with duadic codes, cyclic difference sets, levels (Stufen) of cyclotomic fields, and derive some new asymptotic results on their lengths and on S(n), which denotes the number of very odd sequences of length n.
Let a_1,...,a_m be positive real numbers. Besser and Moree considered weighted numbers of -1,+1 solutions of the linear inequality |a_i-a_j| < e_ka_k < a_i+a_j, with e_k=-1 of 1 and k running over the integers 1,...,m with i and j skipped. They introduced some invariants and near invariants related to this situation (invariant meaning here: not depending on the choice of i and j). The main result of their paper is extended here to a much more general setting, namely that of certain maps from finite sets to {-1,1}. Some applications are given.
Brizolis asked the question: does every prime p have a pair (g,h) such that h is a fixed point for the discrete logarithm with base g? The first author previously extended this question to ask about not only fixed points but also two-cycles, and gave heuristics (building on work of Zhang, Cobeli, Zaharescu, Campbell, and Pomerance) for estimating the number of such pairs given certain conditions on g and h. In this paper we extend these heuristics and prove results for some of them, building again on the aforementioned work. We also make some new conjectures and prove some average versions of the results.
Let N_g(d) be the set of primes p such that the order of g modulo p is divisible by a prescribed integer d. Wiertelak showed that this set has a natural density and gave a rather involved explicit expression for it. Let N_g(d)(x) be the number of primes p<=x that are in N_g(d). A simple identity for N_g(d)(x) is established. It is used to derive a more compact expression for the natural density than known hitherto. A numerical demonstration, using a program of Y. Gallot, is presented.
D.H. Lehmer found a quadratic polynomial such that 326 is a primitive root for the first 206 primes represented by this polynomial. It is shown that this is related to the class number one problem and prime producing quadratics. An algorithm is described to find more impressive examples in the same spirit. Y. Gallot used it to establish the current record in which 206 is being replaced by 31082.
For a fixed rational number g and integers a and d the sets N_g(a,d), respectively R_g(a,d), of primes p for which the order, respectively the index of g(mod p) is congruent to a(mod d), are considered. Under the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis (GRH), it was shown in part II that these sets have a natural density. Here it is shown that these densities can be expressed as linear combinations of certain constants introduced by Pappalardi. Furthermore it is proved that these densities equal their g-averages for almost all g. It is also shown that if such a density does not equal its g-average then it is close to it. Thus these quantities experience a strong `pull' towards the g-average.
For a fixed rational number g, not equal to -1,0 or 1 and integers a and d we consider the set of primes p for which the order of g(mod p) is congruent to a(mod d). For d=4 and d=3 it is shown that, under the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis, these sets have a natural density. Moreover, we explicitly compute this density. For d=4 this generalises earlier work by K. Chinen and L. Murata. The case d=3 was apparently not considered before.
For a fixed rational number g different from -1,0,1 and integers a and d the set N_g(a,d) of primes p for which the order of g(mod p) is congruent to a(mod d) is considered. It is shown, assuming the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis (GRH), that this set has a natural density which can be computed in terms of degrees of certain Kummer extensions and Galois theoretic intersection coefficients. In case d is a power of an odd prime several properties of this density are established.
Let N_{a,b}(x) count the number of primes p<=x with p dividing a^k+b^k for some k>=1. It is known that asymptotically N_{a,b}(x) grows like c(a,b)x/log x for some rational number c(a,b) that depends in a rather intricate way on a and b. A simple heuristic formula for N_{a,b}(x) is proposed and it is proved that it is asymptotically exact, i.e. has the same asymptotic behaviour as N_{a,b}(x). Connections with Ramanujan sums and character sums are discussed.
The convolved Fibonacci numbers F_j^(r) are defined by (1-z-z^2)^{-r}=\sum_{j>=0}F_{j+1}^(r)z^j. In this note some related numbers that can be expressed in terms of convolved Fibonacci numbers are considered. These numbers appear in the numerical evaluation of a certain number theoretical constant. This note is a case study of the transform {1/n}\sum_{d|n}mu(d)f(z^d)^{n/d}, with f any formal series and mu the Moebius function), which is studied in a companion paper entitled `The formal series Witt transform'.
Let g be a non-zero rational number. Let N_{g,t}(x) denote the number of primes p<=x for which the subgroup of the multiplicative group of the finite field having p elements that is generated by g mod p is of residual index t. In Part I, which is published in J. Number Theory 83 (2000), 155-181, a heuristic for N_{g,t}(x) was set up, under the assumption of the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis (GRH), and shown to be asymptotically exact. In this preprint we provide an alternative and rather shorter proof of this result.