Stable-factorization conjecture for quadratic polynomials over the Gaussian rationals

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Let Z[i]\mathbb{Z}[i] be the Gaussian integers and Q(i)\mathbb{Q}(i) their fraction field. For c∈Z[i]\{0,−1}c\in\mathbb{Z}[i]\backslash\{0,-1\}, set r=1/cr=1/c and fr(x)=x2+rf_r(x)=x^2+r. Let knk_n be the number of irreducible factors of frn(x)f_r^n(x) over Q(i)\mathbb{Q}(i).

Stable-factorization conjecture. The polynomial frf_r is eventually stable over Q(i)\mathbb{Q}(i) with constant C(fr,0)=4C(f_r,0)=4, and exactly one of the following cases holds:

  1. If c=α2c=\alpha^2 with 1±iα∈Z[i]\Z[i]21\pm i\alpha\in\mathbb{Z}[i]\backslash\mathbb{Z}[i]^2, then kn=2k_n=2 for all n≥1n\ge 1.
  2. If c∈{±8i,−16}⊂Z[i]2c\in\{\pm 8i,-16\}\subset\mathbb{Z}[i]^2, then k1=k2=2k_1=k_2=2 and kn=3k_n=3 for all n≥3n\ge 3.
  3. If c=(iσ2−i)2c=(i\sigma^2-i)^2 for ±σ∈Z[i]\{3,5,56}\pm\sigma\in\mathbb{Z}[i]\backslash\{3,5,56\}, then k1=2k_1=2 and kn=3k_n=3 for all n≥2n\ge 2.
  4. If c=(is2−i)2c=(is^2-i)^2 for ±s∈{3,5,56}\pm s\in\{3,5,56\}, then k1=2k_1=2, k2=3k_2=3, and kn=4k_n=4 for all n≥3n\ge 3.
  5. If c≠48c\ne48 and c=α2(2i−α2)c=\alpha^2(2i-\alpha^2) for some α∈Z[i]\alpha\in\mathbb{Z}[i], then k1=1k_1=1 and kn=2k_n=2 for all n≥2n\ge 2.
  6. If c=48c=48, then k1=1k_1=1, k2=2k_2=2, and kn=3k_n=3 for all n≥3n\ge 3.
  7. If c∈Z[i]\Z[i]2c\in\mathbb{Z}[i]\backslash\mathbb{Z}[i]^2 and c≠α2(2i−α2)c\ne\alpha^2(2i-\alpha^2) for every α∈Z[i]\alpha\in\mathbb{Z}[i], then kn=1k_n=1 for all n≥1n\ge1.
References

Primary source

Jermain McDermott, “Stable quadratic polynomials over Q(i)”, arXiv:2606.25250 (2026).

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