Rationality of secant zeta values (Q742914): Difference between revisions

The secant zeta function attached to an algebraic irrational number \(\alpha\) is defined as \[ \psi (\alpha ,s)=\sum\limits_{n=1}^\infty \frac{\sec (\pi n\alpha )}{n^s}. \] The authors consider the case where \(\alpha\) is a real quadratic irrational number. For a positive integer \(k\) they prove that \[ \frac{\psi (\alpha ,2k)}{\pi^{2k}}\in \mathbb Q(\alpha ). \] Moreover, if \(x\mapsto x'\) is a nontrivial automorphism of \(\mathbb Q(\alpha )\), then \[ \left( \frac{\psi (\alpha ,2k)}{\pi^{2k}}\right)^\prime=\frac{\psi (\alpha' ,2k)}{\pi^{2k}}. \] This result implies that for a natural number \(d\), such that \(d\) is not a square, \[ \frac{\psi (\sqrt{d},2k)}{\pi^{2k}}\in \mathbb Q, \] that is the property conjectured by \textit{M. Lalín} et al. [``Secant zeta functions'', J. Math. Anal. Appl. 409, No. 1, 197--204 (2014; \url{doi:10.1016/j.jmaa.2013.06.071})].