The parametrized family of metric Mahler measures

Let M(α) denote the (logarithmic) Mahler measure of the algebraic number α. Dubickas and Smyth, and later Fili and the author, examined metric versions of M. The author generalized these constructions in order to associate, to each point in t∈(0,∞], a metric version Mt of the Mahler measure, each having a triangle inequality of a different strength. We further examine the functions Mt, using them to present an equivalent form of Lehmer?s conjecture. We show that the function t?Mtt(α) is constructed piecewise from certain sums of exponential functions. We pose a conjecture that, if true, enables us to graph t?Mt(α) for rational α.     

On Numbers which are Mahler Measures

We investigate which algebraic numbers can be Mahler measures. Adler and Marcus showed that these must be Perron numbers. We prove that certain integer multiples of every Perron number are Mahler measures. The results of Boyd give some necessary conditions on Perron number to be a measure. These do not include reciprocal algebraic integers, so it would be of interest to find one which is not a Mahler measure. We prove a result in this direction. Finally, we show that for every non-negative integer k there is a cubic algebraic integer having norm 2 such that precisely the kth iteration of its Mahler measure is an integer.     

Several types of algebraic numbers on the unit circle

Let A _p ⊂ C denote the set of all algebraic numbers such that α ∈ A _p if and only if α is a zero of a (not necessarily irreducible) polynomial with positive rational coefficients. We give several results concerning the numbers in A _p . In particular, the intersection of A _p and the unit circle |z| = 1 is investigated in detail. So we determine all numbers of degree less than 6 on the unit circle which lie in the set A _p . Further we show that when α is a root of an irreducible rational polynomial p(X) of degree ≠ 4 whose Galois group contains the full alternating group, α lies in A _p if and only if no real root of p(X) is positive.Received: 19 November 2004; revised: 9 February 2005     

On roots of polynomials with positive coefficients

We prove that an algebraic number α is a root of a polynomial with positive rational coefficients if and only if none of its conjugates is a nonnegative real number. This settles a recent conjecture of Kuba.     

On the Littlewood cyclotomic polynomials

In this article, we study the cyclotomic polynomials of degree N−1 with coefficients restricted to the set {+1,−1}. By a cyclotomic polynomial we mean any monic polynomial with integer coefficients and all roots of modulus 1. By a careful analysis of the effect of Graeffe's root squaring algorithm on cyclotomic polynomials, P. Borwein and K.K. Choi gave a complete characterization of all cyclotomic polynomials with odd coefficients. They also proved that a polynomial p(x) with coefficients ±1 of even degree N−1 is cyclotomic if and only if p(x)=±Φp₁(±x)Φp₂(±xp₁)?Φpr(±xp₁p₂?pr−1), where N=p₁p₂?pr and the pi are primes, not necessarily distinct. Here is the pth cyclotomic polynomial. Based on substantial computation, they also conjectured that this characterization also holds for polynomials of odd degree with ±1 coefficients. We consider the conjecture for odd degree here. Using Ramanujan's sums, we solve the problem for some special cases. We prove that the conjecture is true for polynomials of degree α²pβ−1 with odd prime p or separable polynomials of any odd degree.     

On some cubic or quartic algebraic units

Let ? be an algebraic unit such that rank of the unit group of the order Z[?] is equal to one. It is natural to ask whether ? is a fundamental unit of this order. To prove this result, we showed that it suffices to find explicit positive constants c₁, c₂ and c₃ such that for any such ? it holds that c₁c₂|?|?d??c₃|?|^2c₂, where d? denotes the absolute value of the discriminant of ?, i.e. of the discriminant of its minimal polynomial. We give a proof of this result, simpler than the original ones.     

Additive Hilbert's Theorem 90 in the ring of algebraic integers

For a number field K, we give a complete characterization of algebraic numbers which can be expressed by a difference of two K-conjugate algebraic integers. These turn out to be the algebraic integers whose Galois group contains an element, acting as a cycle on some collection of conjugates which sum to zero. Hence there are no algebraic integers which can be written as a difference of two conjugate algebraic numbers but cannot be written as a difference of two conjugate algebraic integers. A generalization of the construction to a commutative ring is also given. Furthermore, we show that for n ?_ 3 there exist algebraic integers which can be written as a linear form in n K-conjugate algebraic numbers but cannot be written by the same linear form in K-conjugate algebraic integers.     

On the Mahler measure of resultants in small dimensions

We prove that sparse resultants having Mahler measure equal to zero are those whose Newton polytope has dimension one. We then compute the Mahler measure of resultants in dimension two, and examples in dimension three and four. Finally, we show that sparse resultants are tempered polynomials. This property suggests that their Mahler measure may lead to special values of -functions and polylogarithms.     

On the class semigroup of ZS-fields and Iwasawa invariants

Let p be a prime number. In [15], we studied the class semigroup of the ring of integers of the cyclotomic ${\mathbb{Z}}_p$-extension of the rationals. In this paper, we generalize the result to some ${\mathbb{Z}}_S$-extensions of number fields. Moreover, we investigate the relation between the class semigroup and Iwasawa invariants.     

Separable free quadratic algebras over quadratic integers

The aim of the paper is to determine all free separable quadratic algebras over the rings of integers of quadratic fields in terms of the properties of the fundamental unit in the real case. The paper corrects some earlier published results on the subject.     

On a refinement of Craig’s lattices

Let p be an odd prime. A family of (p−1)-dimensional over-lattices yielding new record packings for several values of p in the interval [149…3001] is presented. The result is obtained by modifying Craig’s construction and considering conveniently chosen Z-submodules of Q(ζ), where ζ is a primitive pth root of unity. For p≥59, it is shown that the center density of the (p−1)-dimensional lattice in the new family is at least twice the center density of the (p−1)-dimensional Craig lattice.     

On the range of a covering function

Let be a finite system of residue classes with the moduli n₁,…,n_k distinct. By means of algebraic integers we show that the range of the covering function is not contained in any residue class with modulus greater one. In particular, the values of w(x) cannot have the same parity.     

On the independence of Heegner points in the function field case

Let ∞ be a fixed place of a global function field k. Let E be an elliptic curve defined over k which has split multiplicative reduction at ∞ and fix a modular parametrization ΦE:X₀(N)→E. Let be Heegner points associated to the rings of integers of distinct quadratic “imaginary” fields K₁,…,Kr over (k,∞). We prove that if the “prime-to-2p” part of the ideal class numbers of ring of integers of K₁,…,Kr are larger than a constant C=C(E,ΦE) depending only on E and ΦE, then the points P₁,…,Pr are independent in . Moreover, when k is rational, we show that there are infinitely many imaginary quadratic fields for which the prime-to-2p part of the class numbers are larger than C.     

The Galois group of the Eisenstein polynomial X 5 + aX + a

Let p be a rational prime and let a be an integer which is divisible by p exactly to the first power. Then the Galois group of the Eisenstein polynomial f = X ^p + aX + a is known to be either the full symmetric group S ^p or the affine group A(1, p), and it is conjectured that always G = S _p . In this note we settle this conjecture for p = 5 and, answering a question by J.-P. Serre, we show that this does not carry over when replacing the integer a by some rational number with 5-adic valuation equal to 1. Received: 6 June 2007     

Lower bounds for heights in cyclotomic extensions

We show that the height of a nonzero algebraic number α that lies in an abelian extension of the rationals and is not a root of unity must satisfy h(α)>0.155097.     

Mahler measures in a field are dense modulo 1

Let K be a number field. We prove that the set of Mahler measures M(α), where α runs over every element of K, modulo 1 is everywhere dense in [0, 1], except when or , where D is a positive integer. In the proof, we use a certain sequence of shifted Pisot numbers (or complex Pisot numbers) in K and show that the corresponding sequence of their Mahler measures modulo 1 is uniformly distributed in [0, 1]. Received: 24 March 2006     

Indices of Kummer extensions of prime degree

Let p be a prime and let ${\zeta }_p$ be a primitive p-th root of unity. For a finite extension k of $\mathbb{Q}$ containing ${\zeta }_p$, we consider a Kummer extension $L/k$ of degree p. In this paper, we show that if $k=\mathbb{Q}({\zeta }_p)$ and the class number of k is one, the index of $L/k$ is one. We also show that if $L/k$ is tamely ramified with a normal integral basis, the index is at most a power of p. In the last section, we show that there exist infinitely many cubic Kummer extensions of $\mathbb{Q}({\zeta }_3)$ for both wildly and tamely ramified cases, whose integer rings do not have a power integral basis over that of $\mathbb{Q}({\zeta }_3)$.     

On the compositum of integral closures of valuation rings

It is well known that if $K_1,K_2$ are algebraic number fields with coprime discriminants, then the composite ring $A_{K_1}{A}_{K_2}$ is integrally closed and $K_1,K_2$ are linearly disjoint over the field of rationals, $A_{K_i}$ being the ring of algebraic integers of $K_i$. In an attempt to prove the converse of the above result, in this paper we prove that if $K_1,K_2$ are finite separable extensions of a valued field $(K,v)$ of arbitrary rank which are linearly disjoint over $K=K_1\cap K_2$ and if the integral closure $S_i$ of the valuation ring $R_v$ of v in $K_i$ is a free $R_v$-module for $i=1,2$ with $S_1{S}_2$ integrally closed, then the discriminant of either $S_1/R_v$ or of $S_2/R_v$ is the unit ideal. We quickly deduce from this result that for algebraic number fields $K_1,K_2$ linearly disjoint over $K=K_1\cap K_2$ for which $A_{K_1}{A}_{K_2}$ is integrally closed, the relative discriminants of $K_1/K$ and $K_2/K$ must be coprime.