Cooper's Lucas congruence conjecture for modular-form sequences

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For q=exp⁡(2πiτ)q=\exp(2\pi i\tau) with Im⁡(τ)>0\operatorname{Im}(\tau)>0, let η(τ)=q1/24∏n=1∞(1−qn)\eta(\tau)=q^{1/24}\prod_{n=1}^{\infty}(1-q^n) be the Dedekind eta function. Define the sequences T11(n)T_{11}(n), T14,±(n)T_{14,\pm}(n), T14,±ϵ(n)T_{14,\pm\epsilon}(n), T15,±(n)T_{15,\pm}(n), T15,±ϵ(n)T_{15,\pm\epsilon}(n), and T24(n)T_{24}(n) by the generating-function identities and eta-quotients in the statement below; here i2=−1i^2=-1 and 32\sqrt{32} denotes the positive real square root. A sequence satisfies the Lucas congruence modulo pp if T(pn+j)≡T(n)T(j)(modp)T(pn+j)\equiv T(n)T(j)\pmod p for every n≥0n\geq 0 and 0≤j<p0\leq j<p, where pp is prime.

Cooper's conjecture. The sequences {T14,±(n)}\{T_{14,\pm}(n)\} satisfy the Lucas congruence modulo pp if and only if p=2p=2 or p≡1,7(mod8)p\equiv1,7\pmod{8}, and the sequences {T15,±ϵ(n)}\{T_{15,\pm\epsilon}(n)\} satisfy the Lucas congruence modulo pp if and only if p=2p=2 or p≡1(mod4)p\equiv1\pmod{4}.

These are experimentally proposed cases from Cooper's study of Apéry-like sequences associated with modular forms. The supplied statement also defines further sequences at levels 1111, 1414, 1515, and 2424, but does not assert Lucas-congruence claims for all of them. The status of the stated congruence conditions is not resolved in the supplied material.

References

Primary source

Frits Beukers, Wei-Lun Tsai and Dongxi Ye, “Lucas congruences using modular forms”, arXiv:2408.16616 (2024).

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