We compute the exact irrationality exponents of certain series of rational numbers, first studied in a special case by Hone, by transforming them into suitable continued fractions.
We prove that the formula giving the exact value of the irrationality exponent of regular continued fractions remains valid for semi-regular continued fractions satisfyiong certain conditions.
We prove that a real number a greater than or equal to 2 is the irrationality exponent of some computable real number if and only if a is the upper limit of a computable sequence of rational numbers. Thus, there are computable real numbers whose irrationality exponent is not computable.
We study how the asymptotic irrationality exponent of a given generalized continued fraction \[ \K_{n=1}^\infty \frac{a_n}{b_n}\,,\quad a_n, b_n\in \mathbb{Z}^+, \] behaves as a function of growth properties of partial coefficient sequences $(a_n)$ and $(b_n)$.
We consider Mahler functions $f(z)$ which solve the functional equation $f(z) = \frac{A(z)}{B(z)} f(z^d)$ where $\frac{A(z)}{B(z)}\in \mathbb{Q}(z)$ and $d\ge 2$ is integer. We prove that for any integer $b$ with $|b|\ge 2$ either $f(b)$ is rational or its irrationality exponent is rational. We also compute the exact value of the irrationality exponent for $f(b)$ as soon as the continued fraction for the corresponding Mahler function is known. This improves the result of Bugeaud, Han, Wei and Yao where only an upper bound for the irrationality exponent was provided.
In this paper, improving the method of Allouche \emph{et al.} \cite{APWW98}, we calculate the Hankel determinant of the regular paperfolding sequence, and prove that the Hankel determinant sequence module 2 is periodic with period 10 which answers Coon's conjecture \cite{CV12}. Then we extend Bugeaud's method \cite{Bugeaud11} to obatin the exact value of the irrationality exponent for some general transcendental numbers. Using the results above, we prove that the irrationality exponents of the regular paperfolding numbers are exactly 2.
We provide an upper bound on the efficient irrationality exponents of cubic algebraics $x$ with the minimal polynomial $x^3 - tx^2 - a$. In particular, we show that it becomes non-trivial, i.e. better than the classical bound of Liouville in the case $|t| > 19.71 a^{4/3}$. Moreover, under the condition $|t| > 86.58 a^{4/3}$, we provide an explicit lower bound on the expression $||qx||$ for all large $q\in\mathbb{Z}$. These results are based on the recently discovered continued fractions of cubic irrationals and improve the currently best-known bounds of Wakabayashi.
In math.NT/0307308 we defined the irrationality base of an irrational number and, assuming a stronger hypothesis than the irrationality of Euler's constant, gave a conditional upper bound on its irrationality base. Here we develop the general theory of the irrationality exponent and base, giving formulas and bounds for them using continued fractions and the Fibonacci sequence. A theorem of Jarnik on Diophantine approximation yields numbers with prescribed irrationality measure. By another method we explicitly construct series with prescribed irrationality base. Many examples are given.
We introduce and study a new complexity function in combinatorics on words, which takes into account the smallest second occurrence time of a factor of an infinite word. We characterize the eventually periodic words and the Sturmian words by means of this function. Then, we establish a new result on repetitions in Sturmian words and show that it is best possible. Let $b \ge 2$ be an integer. We deduce a lower bound for the irrationality exponent of real numbers whose sequence of $b$-ary digits is a Sturmian sequence over $\{0,1,\ldots, b-1\}$ and we prove that this lower bound is best possible…
Let $ξ$ be a real irrational number. We are interested in sequences of linear forms in 1 and $ξ$, with integer coefficients, which tend to 0. Does such a sequence exist such that the linear forms are small (with given rate of decrease) and the coefficients have some given rate of growth? If these rates are essentially geometric, a necessary condition for such a sequence to exist is that the linear forms are not too small, a condition which can be expressed precisely using the irrationality exponent of $ξ$. We prove that this condition is actually sufficient, even for arbitrary rates of growth …
We prove that the sum of the series $\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}\, p^{v_p(n!)}$ is a $p$-adic irrational for all primes $p$, where $v_p(n!)$ denotes the exponent of the highest power of $p$ dividing $n!$.
We generalize the classical theorem by Jarnik and Besicovitch on the irrationality exponents of real numbers and Hausdorff dimension. Let a be any real number greater than or equal to 2 and let b be any non-negative real less than or equal to 2/a. We show that there is a Cantor-like set with Hausdorff dimension equal to b such that, with respect to its uniform measure, almost all real numbers have irrationality exponent equal to a. We give an analogous result relating the irrationality exponent and the effective Hausdorff dimension of individual real numbers. We prove that there is a Cantor-li…
The irrationality exponent $μ(t)$ of an irrational number t, defined using the irrationality measure $1/q^μ$, distinguishes among non-Liouville numbers and is infinite for Liouville numbers. Using the irrationality measure $1/β^q$, we define the "irrationality base" $β(t)$, which distinguishes among Liouville numbers and is 1 for non-Liouville numbers. We give some properties and examples. Assuming a condition on certain linear forms in logarithms, for which we present numerical evidence supplied by P. Sebah, we prove an upper bound on the irrationality base of Euler's constant, $γ$. If $γ$ is…
We shall present effective approximations measures for certain infinite products related to $q$-exponential function. There are two main targets. First we shall prove an explicit irrationality measure result for the values of $q$-exponential function at rational points. Then, if we restrict the approximations to rational numbers of the shape $d^s/N$, we may replace Bundschuh's irrationality exponent $7/3$ by $2+\frac{1}{3+2\sqrt 3}=2.1547...$.
The irrationality exponent of an irrational number $ξ$, which measures the approximation rate of $ξ$ by rationals, is in general extremely difficult to compute explicitly, unless we know the continued fraction expansion of $ξ$. Results obtained so far are rather fragmentary, and often treated case by case. In this work, we shall unify all the known results on the subject by showing that the irrationality exponents of large classes of automatic numbers and Mahler numbers (which are transcendental) are exactly equal to $2$. Our classes contain the Thue--Morse--Mahler numbers, the sum of the reci…
Based on the structure of Fibonacci sequence, we give a new proof for the irrationality exponents of the Fibonacci real numbers. Moreover, we obtain all the irrationality exponents of the real numbers corresponding to the differences of Fibonacci sequence.
We prove the new upper bound 5.095412 for the irrationality exponent of $ζ(2)=π^2/6$; the earlier record bound 5.441243 was established in 1996 by G. Rhin and C. Viola.
Irrationality Exponents and Partial Quotient Growth in Continued Fractions
School of Mathematics, South China University of Technology(华南理工大学数学学院);School of Mathematics and Systems Science, & Center for Mathematical Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology(武汉科技大学数学与系统科学学院及数学科学中心)
In the literature, we have various ways of proving irrationality of a real number. In this survey article, we shall emphasize on a particular criterion to prove irrationality. This is called nice approximation of a number by a sequence of rational numbers. This criterion of irrationality is easy to prove and is of great importance. Using it, irrationality of a large class of numbers is proved. We shall apply this method to prove irrationality of algebraic, exponential and trigonometric irrational numbers. Most of the times, explicit constructions are done of the nice sequence of rational numbe…
In this paper we give a general upper bound for the irrationality exponent of algebraic Laurent series with coefficients in a finite field. Our proof is based on a method introduced in a different framework by Adamczewski and Cassaigne. It makes use of automata theory and, in our context, of a classical theorem due to Christol. We then introduce a new approach which allows us to strongly improve this general bound in many cases. As an illustration, we give few examples of algebraic Laurent series for which we are able to compute the exact value of the irrationality exponent.
Let $b \ge 2$ be an integer and $ξ$ an irrational real number. We prove that, if the irrationality exponent of $ξ$ is equal to $2$ or slightly greater than $2$, then the $b$-ary expansion of $ξ$ cannot be `too simple', in a suitable sense. Our result applies, among other classical numbers, to badly approximable numbers, non-zero rational powers of ${\mathrm e}$, and $\log (1 + \frac{1}{a})$, provided that the integer $a$ is sufficiently large. It establishes an unexpected connection between the irrationality exponent of a real number and its $b$-ary expansion.
In this paper we study the three-dimensional analogue of the relation between the irrationality exponent of a real number and the growth of its regular continued fraction partial quotients. As a multidimensional generalisation of continued fractions, we consider Klein polyhedra.
We present a hypergeometric construction of rational approximations to $ζ(2)$ and $ζ(3)$ which allows one to demonstrate simultaneously the irrationality of each of the zeta values, as well as to estimate from below certain linear forms in 1, $ζ(2)$ and $ζ(3)$ with rational coefficients. A new notion of (simultaneous) diophantine exponent is introduced to formalise the arithmetic structure of these specific linear forms. Finally, the properties of this newer concept are studied and linked to the classical irrationality exponent and its generalisations given recently by S. Fischler.
We investigate the continued fraction expansion of the infinite products $g(x) = x^{-1}\prod_{t=0}^\infty P(x^{-d^t})$ where polynomials $P(x)$ satisfy $P(0)=1$ and $°(P)<d$. We construct relations between partial quotients of $g(x)$ which can be used to get recurrent formulae for them. We provide that formulae for the cases $d=2$ and $d=3$. As an application, we prove that for $P(x) = 1+ux$ where $u$ is an arbitrary rational number except 0 and 1, and for any integer $b$ with $|b|>1$ such that $g(b)\neq0$ the irrationality exponent of $g(b)$ equals two. In the case $d=3$ we provide a partial …
Let $\C{G}(z):=\sum_{n=0}^\infty z^{2^n}(1-z^{2^n})^{-1}$ denote the generating function of the ruler function, and $\C{F}(z):=\sum_{n=0}^\infty z^{2^n}(1+z^{2^n})^{-1}$; note that the special value $\C{F}(1/2)$ is the sum of the reciprocals of the Fermat numbers $F_n:=2^{2^n}+1$. The functions $\C{F}(z)$ and $\C{G}(z)$ as well as their special values have been studied by Mahler, Golomb, Schwarz, and Duverney; it is known that the numbers $\C{F}(\ga)$ and $\C{G}(\ga)$ are transcendental for all algebraic numbers $\ga$ which satisfy $0<\ga<1$. For a sequence $\mathbf{u}$, denote the Hankel matr…
As a corollary of the main result of our recent paper, {\em On the rational approximation of the sum of the reciprocals of the Fermat numbers} published in this same journal, we prove that for each integer $b\geq 2$ the irrationality exponent of $\sum_{n\geqslant 0} s_2(n)/b^n$ is equal to $2$.
We establish a general transference principle for the irrationality measure of points with $\mathbb{Q}$-linearly independent coordinates in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$, for any given integer $n\geq 1$. On this basis, we recover an important inequality of Marnat and Moshchevitin which describes the spectrum of the pairs of ordinary and uniform exponents of rational approximation to those points. For points whose pair of exponents are close to the boundary in the sense that they almost realize the equality, we provide additional information about the corresponding sequence of best rational approximations…
Irrationality of rapidly converging series: a problem of Erdős and Graham
Queens’ College, University of Cambridge(剑桥大学皇后学院);Department of Mathematical Science, Seoul National University(首尔大学数学科学系);School of Mathematics, Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS)(韩国高等科学研究院数学学院);University of Zagreb Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics(萨格勒布大学理学院数学系);Department of Mathematics, Stanford University(斯坦福大学数学系)
Let $p$ be a prime number and $ξ$ an irrational $p$-adic number. Its multiplicative irrationality exponent ${μ^{\times}} (ξ)$ is the supremum of the real numbers ${μ^{\times}}$ for which the inequality $$ |b ξ- a|_{p} \leq | a b |^{- {μ^{\times}} / 2} $$ has infinitely many solutions in nonzero integers $a, b$. We show that ${μ^{\times}} (ξ)$ can be expressed in terms of a new exponent of approximation attached to a sequence of rational numbers defined in terms of $ξ$. We establish that ${μ^{\times}} ({{ξ_{{\bf t}, p}}}) = 3$, where ${{ξ_{{\bf t}, p}}}$ is the $p$-adic number $1 - p - p^2 + p^…
Let $θ$ and $ρ$ be real numbers with $0 \le θ, ρ< 1$ and $θ$ irrational. We show that the Hecke-Mahler series $$ F_{θ, ρ} (z_1, z_2) = \sum_{k_1 \ge 1} \, \sum_{k_2 = 1}^{\lfloor k_1 θ+ ρ\rfloor} \, z_1^{k_1} z_2^{k_2}, $$ where $\lfloor \cdot \rfloor$ denotes the integer part function, takes transcendental values at any algebraic point $(β, α)$ with $0 < |β|, |βα^θ| < 1$. This extends earlier results of Mahler (1929) and Loxton and van der Poorten (1977), who settled the case $ρ=0$. Furthermore, for positive integers $b$ and $a$, with $b \ge 2$ and $a$ congruent to $1$ modulo $b-1$, we give t…