Integral and classified real-root conjecture for peak polynomials

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Let S={i1<i2<⋯<is}S=\{i_1<i_2<\cdots<i_s\} be an admissible peak set, and let pS(x)p_S(x) be its peak polynomial. The roots of pS(x)p_S(x) are the complex numbers xx satisfying pS(x)=0p_S(x)=0.

Integral and classified real-root conjecture. If all roots of pS(x)p_S(x) are real, then all of them are integral. Moreover, pS(x)p_S(x) has only real roots if and only if

S={2},S={2,4},S={3},S={3,5},S=\{2\},\quad S=\{2,4\},\quad S=\{3\},\quad S=\{3,5\},

or

S={i1<i2<⋯<is<is+3},S=\{i_1<i_2<\cdots<i_s<i_s+3\},

or

S={i1<i2<⋯<is<is+3<is+5}.S=\{i_1<i_2<\cdots<i_s<i_s+3<i_s+5\}.

The conjecture gives both an integrality prediction for real roots and a complete proposed classification of admissible peak sets whose peak polynomials are real-rooted. The paper says that the listed families have been shown to have only integral roots, while the converse direction remains unproved.

References

Primary source

Sara Billey, Matthew Fahrbach and Alan Talmage, “Coefficients and roots of peak polynomials”, arXiv:1410.8506 (2016).

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