On the distribution of partial sums of irrational rotations (Q2416504): Difference between revisions

For an irrational number $\alpha$ with $0<\alpha<1$, let $\alpha=[0;a_1,a_2,a_3,\ldots]$ be the continued fraction expansion of $\alpha$. The $n$th convergent of $\alpha$ is defined by $p_n/q_n=[0;a_1,a_2,\ldots, a_n]$. The authors ``investigate the sums $\sum_{i=1}^n(\{i\alpha\}-\frac{1}{2})$ and $\sum_{i=1}^n\{(\{i\alpha\}-\frac{1}{2})^2-\frac {1}{12}\}$.'' They ``discuss exact formulae and asymptotic estimates for these sums and point out interesting geometrical properties of their graph in the case when the continued fraction expansion of $\alpha$ has a large isolated partial quotient''. For example, the authors show that for $0\leq \nu<a_{j+1}$ $$\sum_{i=1}^{\nu q_j}\left(\{i\alpha\}-\frac 12\right)=(-1)^j \frac{a_{j+1}}{2}(1+\varepsilon_1)x_{\nu}(x_{\nu}-1)+\varepsilon_2,$$ where $\vert \varepsilon_1\vert $, $\vert \varepsilon_2\vert <1/q_j$, and $x_{\nu}=\nu/a_{j+1}$.