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Minimal zero-sequences and the strong Davenport constant
AbstractLet G be a finite Abelian group and U(G) the set of minimal zero-sequences on G. If M1 and M2∈U(G), then set M1∼M2 if there exists an automorphism ϕ of G such that ϕ(M1)=M2. Let O(M) represent the equivalence class of M under ∼. In this paper, we consider problems related to the size of an equivalence class of sequences in U(G) and also examine a stronger form of the Davenport constant of G
On the Olson and the Strong Davenport constants
A subset of a finite abelian group, written additively, is called
zero-sumfree if the sum of the elements of each non-empty subset of is
non-zero. We investigate the maximal cardinality of zero-sumfree sets, i.e.,
the (small) Olson constant. We determine the maximal cardinality of such sets
for several new types of groups; in particular, -groups with large rank
relative to the exponent, including all groups with exponent at most five.
These results are derived as consequences of more general results, establishing
new lower bounds for the cardinality of zero-sumfree sets for various types of
groups. The quality of these bounds is explored via the treatment, which is
computer-aided, of selected explicit examples. Moreover, we investigate a
closely related notion, namely the maximal cardinality of minimal zero-sum
sets, i.e., the Strong Davenport constant. In particular, we determine its
value for elementary -groups of rank at most , paralleling and building
on recent results on this problem for the Olson constant
Inverse zero-sum problems and algebraic invariants
In this article, we study the maximal cross number of long zero-sumfree
sequences in a finite Abelian group. Regarding this inverse-type problem, we
formulate a general conjecture and prove, among other results, that this
conjecture holds true for finite cyclic groups, finite Abelian p-groups and for
finite Abelian groups of rank two. Also, the results obtained here enable us to
improve, via the resolution of a linear integer program, a result of W. Gao and
A. Geroldinger concerning the minimal number of elements with maximal order in
a long zero-sumfree sequence of a finite Abelian group of rank two.Comment: 17 pages, to appear in Acta Arithmetic
A nullstellensatz for sequences over F_p
Let p be a prime and let A=(a_1,...,a_l) be a sequence of nonzero elements in
F_p. In this paper, we study the set of all 0-1 solutions to the equation a_1
x_1 + ... + a_l x_l = 0. We prove that whenever l >= p, this set actually
characterizes A up to a nonzero multiplicative constant, which is no longer
true for l < p. The critical case l=p is of particular interest. In this
context, we prove that whenever l=p and A is nonconstant, the above equation
has at least p-1 minimal 0-1 solutions, thus refining a theorem of Olson. The
subcritical case l=p-1 is studied in detail also. Our approach is algebraic in
nature and relies on the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz as well as on a Vosper
type theorem.Comment: 23 page
The Large Davenport Constant I: Groups with a Cyclic, Index 2 Subgroup
Let be a finite group written multiplicatively. By a sequence over ,
we mean a finite sequence of terms from which is unordered, repetition of
terms allowed, and we say that it is a product-one sequence if its terms can be
ordered so that their product is the identity element of . The small
Davenport constant is the maximal integer such that
there is a sequence over of length which has no nontrivial,
product-one subsequence. The large Davenport constant is the
maximal length of a minimal product-one sequence---this is a product-one
sequence which cannot be factored into two nontrivial, product-one
subsequences. It is easily observed that , and
if is abelian, then equality holds. However, for non-abelian groups, these
constants can differ significantly. Now suppose has a cyclic, index 2
subgroup. Then an old result of Olson and White (dating back to 1977) implies
that if is non-cyclic, and
if is cyclic. In this paper, we determine the large Davenport constant of
such groups, showing that , where is the commutator subgroup of
Arithmetic-Progression-Weighted Subsequence Sums
Let be an abelian group, let be a sequence of terms
not all contained in a coset of a proper subgroup of
, and let be a sequence of consecutive integers. Let
which is a particular kind of weighted restricted sumset. We show that , that if , and also
characterize all sequences of length with . This
result then allows us to characterize when a linear equation
where are
given, has a solution modulo with all
distinct modulo . As a second simple corollary, we also show that there are
maximal length minimal zero-sum sequences over a rank 2 finite abelian group
(where and ) having
distinct terms, for any . Indeed, apart from
a few simple restrictions, any pattern of multiplicities is realizable for such
a maximal length minimal zero-sum sequence
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