Generalized nonintegrality conjecture for reciprocal power sums

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Let f(x)f(x) be a nonzero polynomial with integer coefficients and let S={si}i=1∞\mathcal{S}=\{s_i\}_{i=1}^{\infty} be an infinite sequence of positive integers, not necessarily increasing or distinct. For each nn, write Sn=(s1,…,sn)\mathcal{S}_n=(s_1,\ldots,s_n), and for 1≤k≤n1\leq k\leq n define

Hf(k)(Sn):=∑1≤i1<⋯<ik≤n∏j=1k1f(aij)sij,H_f^{(k)}(\mathcal{S}_n):=\sum_{1\leq i_1<\cdots<i_k\leq n}\prod_{j=1}^k\frac{1}{f(a_{i_j})^{s_{i_j}}},

where Zf={x∈Z:f(x)=0}Z_f=\{x\in\mathbb{Z}:f(x)=0\}, {ai}i=1∞=Z+∖Zf\{a_i\}_{i=1}^{\infty}=\mathbb{Z}^+\setminus Z_f is in increasing order, and

Hˉf(k)(Sn):=∑1≤i1≤⋯≤ik≤n∏j=1k1f(aij)sij.\bar H_f^{(k)}(\mathcal{S}_n):=\sum_{1\leq i_1\leq\cdots\leq i_k\leq n}\prod_{j=1}^k\frac{1}{f(a_{i_j})^{s_{i_j}}}.

Generalized nonintegrality conjecture. There is a positive integer NN such that for every integer n≥Nn\geq N and every integer kk with 1≤k≤n1\leq k\leq n, neither Hf(k)(Sn)H_f^{(k)}(\mathcal{S}_n) nor Hˉf(k)(Sn)\bar H_f^{(k)}(\mathcal{S}_n) is an integer.

This conjecture generalizes the two earlier conjectures cited in the source and extends the nonintegrality problem to arbitrary nonzero integer polynomials and arbitrary positive-integer exponent sequences. Its status is not established in the supplied text.

References

Primary source

Junyong Zhao, Shaofang Hong and Xiao Jiang, “A certain reciprocal power sum is never an integer”, arXiv:1812.08705 (2018).

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