The third-to-fourth iterate irreducibility conjecture for quadratic polynomials

Let ϕc(x)=x2+c\phi_c(x)=x^2+c for cZc\in\mathbb{Z}, and let bZb\in\mathbb{Z} be any basepoint. The polynomial ϕcn(x)\phi_c^n(x) denotes the nnth iterate of ϕc\phi_c. Third-to-fourth iterate irreducibility conjecture. The polynomial ϕc3(x)b\phi_c^3(x)-b is irreducible if and only if the polynomial ϕc4(x)b\phi_c^4(x)-b is irreducible.

Irreducibility of the third iterate implies irreducibility of the fourth iterate in all examples known in the paper, and the stated equivalence is supported by an exhaustive computational search in a bounded range. Whether it holds for all integer pairs (b,c)(b,c) remains open in the supplied text.

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Primary source

Wade Hindes, “Classifying Galois groups of small iterates via rational points”, arXiv:1705.08353 (2017).

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