On the Littlewood conjecture in fields of power series

Let \k be an arbitrary field. For any fixed badly approximable power series $\Theta$ in \k((X^{-1})), we give an explicit construction of continuum many badly approximable power series $\Phi$ for which the pair $(\Theta, \Phi)$ satisfies the Littlewood conjecture. We further discuss the Littlewood conjecture for pairs of algebraic power series

On the Littlewood conjecture in simultaneous Diophantine approximation

For any given real number $\alpha$ with bounded partial quotients, we construct explicitly continuum many real numbers $\beta$ with bounded partial quotients for which the pair $(\alpha, \beta)$ satisfies a strong form of the Littlewood conjecture. Our proof is elementary and rests on the basic theory of continued fractions

Palindromic continued fractions

In the present work, we investigate real numbers whose sequence of partial quotients enjoys some combinatorial properties involving the notion of palindrome. We provide three new transendence criteria, that apply to a broad class of continued fraction expansions, including expansions with unbounded partial quotients. Their proofs heavily depend on the Schmidt Subspace Theorem

Consistent Vegetarianism and the Suffering of Wild Animals

Ethical consequentialist vegetarians believe that farmed animals have lives that are worse than non-existence. In this paper, I sketch out an argument that wild animals have worse lives than farmed animals, and that consistent vegetarians should therefore reduce the number of wild animals as a top priority. I consider objections to the argument, and discuss which courses of action are open to those who accept the argument

On the complexity of algebraic number I. Expansions in integer bases

Let $b \ge 2$ be an integer. We prove that the $b$-adic expansion of every irrational algebraic number cannot have low complexity. Furthermore, we establish that irrational morphic numbers are transcendental, for a wide class of morphisms. In particular, irrational automatic numbers are transcendental. Our main tool is a new, combinatorial transcendence criterion

On the complexity of algebraic numbers II. Continued fractions

The continued fraction expansion of an irrational number $\alpha$ is eventually periodic if and only if $\alpha$ is a quadratic irrationality. However, very little is known regarding the size of the partial quotients of algebraic real numbers of degree at least three. Because of some numerical evidence and a belief that these numbers behave like most numbers in this respect, it is often conjectured that their partial quotients form an unbounded sequence. More modestly, we may expect that if the sequence of partial quotients of an irrational number $\alpha$ is, in some sense, "simple", then $\alpha$ is either quadratic or transcendental. The term "simple" can of course lead to many interpretations. It may denote real numbers whose continued fraction expansion has some regularity, or can be produced by a simple algorithm (by a simple Turing machine, for example), or arises from a simple dynamical system... The aim of this paper is to present in a unified way several new results on these different approaches of the notion of simplicity/complexity for the continued fraction expansion of algebraic real numbers of degree at least three

On the Maillet--Baker continued fractions

We use the Schmidt Subspace Theorem to establish the transcendence of a class of quasi-periodic continued fractions. This improves earlier works of Maillet and of A. Baker. We also improve an old result of Davenport and Roth on the rate of increase of the denominators of the convergents to any real algebraic number

A problem around Mahler functions

Let $K$ be a field of characteristic zero and $k$ and $l$ be two multiplicatively independent positive integers. We prove the following result that was conjectured by Loxton and van der Poorten during the Eighties: a power series $F(z)\in K[[z]]$ satisfies both a $k$- and a $l$-Mahler type functional equation if and only if it is a rational function.Comment: 52 page