Algebraicity and transcendence of power series: combinatorial and computational aspects

DoctoralFrom ancient times, mathematicians are interested in the following question: is a given real number "algebraic" (that is, a root of a nonzero univariate polynomial with rational number coefficients), or is it "transcendental"? Although almost all real numbers are transcendental, it is notoriously difficult to actually prove, or disprove, the transcendence of a given constant. More recently, and especially with the advent of computers, different related questions arose: What is the "complexity" of a real number? How fast can one compute the first digits, or one single digit, of a (computable) real number? Can digits of algebraic numbers be computed faster than those of (computable) transcendental numbers? In this series of lectures, we will consider the (simpler) functional analogues of these questions: given a formal power series with rational number coefficients, decide whether it is algebraic (root of a nontrivial bivariate polynomial) or transcendental, and determine how fast can one compute its coefficients? We will first motivate these questions by presenting some examples of algebraic power series coming from combinatorics, with a focus on enumeration of lattice walks. Then we will discuss several methods that allow to discover and prove the nature (algebraic or transcendental) of a generating function, with an emphasis on an experimental mathematics approach combined with algorithmic methods such as Guess'n'Prove and Creative Telescoping. Finally, we will overview efficient algorithms for various operations on algebraic power series, including the computation of one or several selected terms

A probabilistic algorithm to test local algebraic observability in polynomial time

The following questions are often encountered in system and control theory. Given an algebraic model of a physical process, which variables can be, in theory, deduced from the input-output behavior of an experiment? How many of the remaining variables should we assume to be known in order to determine all the others? These questions are parts of the \emph{local algebraic observability} problem which is concerned with the existence of a non trivial Lie subalgebra of the symmetries of the model letting the inputs and the outputs invariant. We present a \emph{probabilistic seminumerical} algorithm that proposes a solution to this problem in \emph{polynomial time}. A bound for the necessary number of arithmetic operations on the rational field is presented. This bound is polynomial in the \emph{complexity of evaluation} of the model and in the number of variables. Furthermore, we show that the \emph{size} of the integers involved in the computations is polynomial in the number of variables and in the degree of the differential system. Last, we estimate the probability of success of our algorithm and we present some benchmarks from our Maple implementation.Comment: 26 pages. A Maple implementation is availabl

On the non-holonomic character of logarithms, powers, and the n-th prime function

We establish that the sequences formed by logarithms and by "fractional" powers of integers, as well as the sequence of prime numbers, are non-holonomic, thereby answering three open problems of Gerhold [Electronic Journal of Combinatorics 11 (2004), R87]. Our proofs depend on basic complex analysis, namely a conjunction of the Structure Theorem for singularities of solutions to linear differential equations and of an Abelian theorem. A brief discussion is offered regarding the scope of singularity-based methods and several naturally occurring sequences are proved to be non-holonomic.Comment: 13 page

On a conjecture by Pierre Cartier about a group of associators

In \cite{cartier2}, Pierre Cartier conjectured that for any non commutative formal power series $\Phi$ on $X=\{x_0,x_1\}$ with coefficients in a \Q-extension, $A$, subjected to some suitable conditions, there exists an unique algebra homomorphism $\varphi$ from the \Q-algebra generated by the convergent polyz\^etas to $A$ such that $\Phi$ is computed from $\Phi_{KZ}$ Drinfel'd associator by applying $\varphi$ to each coefficient. We prove $\varphi$ exists and it is a free Lie exponential over $X$. Moreover, we give a complete description of the kernel of polyz\^eta and draw some consequences about a structure of the algebra of convergent polyz\^etas and about the arithmetical nature of the Euler constant

Subword complexity and Laurent series with coefficients in a finite field

Decimal expansions of classical constants such as $\sqrt2$, $\pi$ and $\zeta(3)$ have long been a source of difficult questions. In the case of Laurent series with coefficients in a finite field, where no carry-over difficulties appear, the situation seems to be simplified and drastically different. On the other hand, Carlitz introduced analogs of real numbers such as $\pi$, $e$ or $\zeta(3)$. Hence, it became reasonable to enquire how "complex" the Laurent representation of these "numbers" is. In this paper we prove that the inverse of Carlitz's analog of $\pi$, $\Pi_q$, has in general a linear complexity, except in the case $q=2$, when the complexity is quadratic. In particular, this implies the transcendence of $\Pi_2$ over \F_2(T). In the second part, we consider the classes of Laurent series of at most polynomial complexity and of zero entropy. We show that these satisfy some nice closure properties