Strongly \(q\)-additive functions and algebraic independence (Q1267131)

Let \(q\geq 2\) be a fixed integer. The strongly \(q\)-additive functions of the title satisfy \(a(kq^t+r)= a(k)+ a(r)\) for integers \(k\geq 0\), \(t\geq 0\) and \(0\leq r< q^t\). The generating function \(f(z)=\sum a(n)z^n\) is an example of a Mahler function and has the functional equation \[ f(z)= \frac{1-z^q} {1-z} f(z^q)+ \frac{1} {1-z^q} \sum_{r=0}^{q-1} a(r) z^r. \] An example is the sum of digits function \(s^{(q)}(n)= \sum_{j=0}^t b_j\), where the \(b_j\) are the digits in the \(q\)-adic expansion of \(n\), namely \(n= b_0+ b_1q+\cdots+ b_t q^t\). The main theorem states that if the \(a_k(n)\) \((1\leq k\leq m)\) are \(m\) strongly \(q\)-additive functions with respective generating functions \(f_k(z)\), then the following are equivalent: (i) The functions \(f_k(z)\) are algebraically dependent over \(\mathbb{C}(z)\). (ii) The functions \(a_k(n)\) are linearly dependent over \(\mathbb{C}\). (iii) The \((q-1)\)-dimensional vectors \((a_k(1),\dots, a_k(q-1))\) are linearly dependent over \(\mathbb{C}\). Algebraic independence results for the values of these functions follow. As a particular case, if \(\alpha\) is an algebraic number with \(0<|\alpha |< 1\), then the values \(\{\sum_{n\geq 0} s^{(q)}(n) \alpha^n\}_{q\geq 2}\) are algebraically independent over \(\mathbb{C}(z)\). The theorems are simple consequences of the general transcendence theory of Mahler functions developed by Mahler and later authors [see, for example, \textit{K. Nishioka}, Mahler functions and transcendence, Lect. Notes Math. 1631 (1996; Zbl 0876.11034)].