Merca's conjectures on odd divisor-function convolutions

Let Pm(k)P_m(k) be the generalized mm-gonal number

Pm(k):=(m21)k2(m22)k,P_m(k):=\left(\frac{m}{2}-1\right)k^2-\left(\frac{m}{2}-2\right)k,

and let

σodd(n):=dn\d oddd,\sigma_{\mathrm{odd}}(n):=\sum_{\substack{d\mid n\d\ \mathrm{odd}}}d,

with σodd(n):=0\sigma_{\mathrm{odd}}(n):=0 for n0n\leq 0. For positive integers mm and nn, consider the three congruences

k=σodd(nPm(k)){n\if@display\else\fi\pmodx2if n=Pm(j), jZ,0\if@display\else\fi\pmodx2otherwise,\sum_{k=-\infty}^{\infty}\sigma_{\mathrm{odd}}(n-P_m(k))\equiv \begin{cases} n% \allowbreak \if@display\mkern18mu\else\mkern8mu\fi \pmodx 2&\text{if }n=P_m(j),\ j\in\mathbb{Z},\\ 0% \allowbreak \if@display\mkern18mu\else\mkern8mu\fi \pmodx 2&\text{otherwise}, \end{cases} k=σodd(nP5(k)){n\if@display\else\fi\pmodxmif n=P5(j), jZ,0\if@display\else\fi\pmodxmotherwise,\sum_{k=-\infty}^{\infty}\sigma_{\mathrm{odd}}(n-P_5(k))\equiv \begin{cases} n% \allowbreak \if@display\mkern18mu\else\mkern8mu\fi \pmodx m&\text{if }n=P_5(j),\ j\in\mathbb{Z},\\ 0% \allowbreak \if@display\mkern18mu\else\mkern8mu\fi \pmodx m&\text{otherwise}, \end{cases}

and

k=(1)P3(k)σodd(nP5(k)){(1)P3(j)n\if@display\else\fi\pmodxmif n=P5(j), jZ,0\if@display\else\fi\pmodxmotherwise.\sum_{k=-\infty}^{\infty}(-1)^{P_3(-k)}\sigma_{\mathrm{odd}}(n-P_5(k))\equiv \begin{cases} (-1)^{P_3(-j)}n% \allowbreak \if@display\mkern18mu\else\mkern8mu\fi \pmodx m&\text{if }n=P_5(j),\ j\in\mathbb{Z},\\ 0% \allowbreak \if@display\mkern18mu\else\mkern8mu\fi \pmodx m&\text{otherwise}. \end{cases}

Merca's conjectures. The first congruence holds for all nZ+n\in\mathbb{Z}^+ if and only if m{5,6}m\in\{5,6\}; the second holds for all nZ+n\in\mathbb{Z}^+ if and only if m{2,3,6}m\in\{2,3,6\}; and the third holds for all nZ+n\in\mathbb{Z}^+ if and only if m{2,4}m\in\{2,4\}. The paper proves these assertions, so they are now theorems rather than open conjectures.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Kaya Lakein and Anne Larsen, “A Proof of Merca's Conjectures on Sums of Odd Divisor Functions”, arXiv:2107.07637 (2021).

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