Irregular-prime characterization for a half-power-sum congruence

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Let Sm(n)=∑j=1n−1jmS_m(n)=\sum_{j=1}^{n-1}j^m, and let BmB_m denote the mmth Bernoulli number. An irregular prime is a prime dividing the numerator of some Bernoulli number B2rB_{2r} with 2≤2r≤p−32\le 2r\le p-3. Half-power-sum characterization conjecture. For an odd positive integer n≥3n\ge 3 with n≡3(mod4)n\equiv 3\pmod{4}, the congruence

S(n−1)/2(n)≡0(modn3)S_{(n-1)/2}(n)\equiv 0\pmod{n^3}

holds if and only if nn is an irregular prime for which

B(n−3)/2≡0(modn).B_{(n-3)/2}\equiv 0\pmod{n}.

The claim is motivated by congruences relating power sums to Bernoulli numbers and computations through n=20000n=20000; its status is unresolved in the supplied text.

References

Primary source

Romeo Meštrović, “A congruence modulo n^3 involving two consecutive sums of powers and its applications”, arXiv:1211.4570 (2012).

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