Congruences for \(2^t\)-core partition functions (Q5960987)

A \(t\)-core partition of the natural number \(n\) is a partition of \(n\) in which none of the hook numbers is a multiple of \(t\). Let \(a_t(n)\) denote the number of \(t\)-core partitions of \(n\). In this paper the author investigates congruences modulo \(2\) for the functions \(a_{2^t}(n)\) with \(t\geq 1\). Two infinite families of congruences are obtained. For example, Theorem 1 asserts that for any \(t\geq 1\) and for any distinct odd primes \(p_1,\dots, p_{(4^t-1)/3}\) we have \[ a_{2^t}\fracwithdelims(){p_1\dots p_{(4^t-1)/3} N-(4^t-1)/3}{8}\equiv 0\pmod 2 \] for every \(N\) with \(\gcd(N, \prod p_i)=1\). Theorem 2 contains a similar statement involving powers of a fixed odd prime \(p\); in particular it gives infinitely many examples of congruences of a form investigated for small values of \(t\) by \textit{M. D. Hirschhorn} and \textit{J. A. Sellers} [Ramanujan J. 3, 281-296 (1999; Zbl 0933.11048), J. Number Theory 60, 51-69 (1996; Zbl 0864.11050)], and \textit{L. W. Kolitsch} and \textit{J. A. Sellers} [Ramanujan J. 3, 221-226 (1999; Zbl 0939.05009)]. The proofs of Theorems 1 and 2 involve a study of the action of the Hecke algebra on spaces of modular forms modulo \(2\). The starting point is the congruence \[ \sum_{n=0}^\infty a_{2^t}(n)q^{8n+\frac{4^t-1}3}\equiv \Delta^\frac{4^t-1}3(z)\pmod 2, \] where \(\Delta(z)\) is the usual delta function. Serre showed that the action of the Hecke operators on spaces of cusp forms for \(\text{SL}_2(\mathbb Z)\) is locally nilpotent. Theorems 1 and 2 arise from a careful study of the degree of nilpotency.