Conjecture on the distribution of irregular pairs by index difference

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Let MM be a fixed positive integer and let cc be an integer with 0≤c<M0\le c<M. An irregular pair is a pair (p,t)(p,t) such that pp is prime, tt is even, and pp divides the Bernoulli number BtB_t. The irregular index of a prime pp is the number of irregular pairs with first component pp. Distribution conjecture. We have

lim⁡X→∞#{(p,t):p∣Bt, t even, p<X, p−t≡c(modM)}#{(p,t):p∣Bt, t even, p<X}={0if 2∣c and 2∣M,1/Mif 2∤M,2/Mif 2∤c and 2∣M. \lim_{X\to\infty}\frac{\#\{(p,t): p\mid B_t,\ t\text{ even},\ p<X,\ p-t\equiv c\pmod M\}}{\#\{(p,t): p\mid B_t,\ t\text{ even},\ p<X\}}= \begin{cases} 0 & \text{if $2\mid c$ and $2\mid M$,}\\ 1/M & \text{if $2\nmid M$,}\\ 2/M & \text{if $2\nmid c$ and $2\mid M$. }\end{cases}

The same assertion should hold after restricting to irregular primes with a fixed irregular index. This predicts an even distribution of irregular pairs according to p−tp-t modulo MM, subject only to the parity obstruction when MM is even.

References

Primary source

Jianqiang Zhao, “Multiple Harmonic Series I: Generalizations of Wolstenholme's Theorem”, arXiv:math/0301252 (2006).

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