The Mahler measure of parametrizable polynomials (Q1024407)

The polynomials of the title are polynomials \(P(x,y)\in\mathbb Z[x,y]\) for which the plane curve \(P(x,y)=0\) is rational, so that the curve has a parametrization \(x=f(t), y=g(t)\) for some \(f,g\in\mathbb C(t)\). In this interesting paper, the author expresses the (logarithmic) Mahler measure \(m(P)\) of parametrizable polynomials \(P\) in a closed-form expression involving sums of multiples of the Bloch-Wigner dilogarithm function \(D(z)\) evaluated at certain \(z\in\mathbb C\). By restricting the class of polynomials further, to so-called \textit{admissable} polynomials, even nicer formulae are obtained: it is shown (Cor. 8) that for such polynomials \(P\), \(\pi m(P)\) is a sum of rational multiples of such \(D(z)\), where \(z\) is a root of unity. An example is \(\pi m(y^2+y(x+1)+x^2+x+1)=2D(i)-\tfrac34 D(e^{2\pi i/3}).\) The methods of proof for admissible polynomials employ the Bloch group of a certain field associated to each polynomial. Also, conjectured expressions of a similar kind for \(\pi m(P)\) for two other admissible polynomials \(P\) are given, based on numerical evidence. Presumably these conjectures should be verifiable by the methods given in the paper. Each such verification seems, however, to be a nontrivial task.