Goh–Wildberger factorization conjecture for zpread polynomials

Let Zn(x)Z_n(x) denote the nnth zpread polynomial. For each integer d1d\geq 1, let Φd(x)Z[x]\Phi_d(x)\in\mathbb{Z}[x] have degree ϕ(d)\phi(d), where ϕ\phi is Euler's totient function, and let μ\mu denote the Möbius function.

Goh–Wildberger conjecture. There are polynomials Φd(x)Z[x]\Phi_d(x)\in\mathbb{Z}[x], d1d\geq 1, such that, for every n1n\geq 1,

Zn(x)=dnΦd(x).Z_n(x)=\prod_{d\mid n}\Phi_d(x).

For d3d\geq 3, Φd(x)=ψd(x)2\Phi_d(x)=\psi_d(x)^2, where ψd(x)Z[x]\psi_d(x)\in\mathbb{Z}[x] is irreducible and has constant term ψd(0)>0\psi_d(0)>0 satisfying

ψd(0)=dn(nd)μ(d).\psi_d(0)=\prod_{d\mid n}\left(\frac{n}{d}\right)^{\mu(d)}.

Moreover, if p5p\geq 5 is prime, then

ψp(1)=(1)ϕ(p)/2.\psi_p(1)=(-1)^{\phi(p)/2}.

This conjecture reformulates a conjecture of Goh and Wildberger about factorizations of spread polynomials in terms of zpread polynomials, while also making explicit arithmetic patterns in the factors' coefficients. The cited OEIS entry records the proposed constant-term sequence; the supplied text gives no evidence resolving the conjecture.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Hans-Christian Herbig and Mateus de Jesus Gonçalves, “On the numerology of trigonometric polynomials”, arXiv:2311.13604 (2023).

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