The polylogarithm in the field of two irreducible quintics (Q1089385)

This paper continues the story of the polylogarithm function \(Li_ n(z)=\sum z^ r/r^ n\) and identities satisfied by its values at certain special points. The many examples obtained by the second author fit the pattern \[ \frac{Li_ n(z^ N)}{N^{n-1}} = \sum_{r| N}A_ r\frac{Li_ n(z^ r)}{r^{n-1}} + B_ 0\frac{\log^ n z}{n!} + \sum^{n}_{m=2}B_ m \zeta (m)\frac{\log^{n-m} z}{(n-m)!} \] where z is a root of the equation \[ (1-z^ N)z^{B_ 0} = \prod_{r| N}(1-z^ r)^{A_ r} \] and the A's and B's are rational. Identities of this type can be obtained from Kummer's functional equations, but there are many which check numerically to high accuracy and for which no analytic proof is known. This paper adds to these mysteries. For example, if \(v^ 5+v^ 4-v^ 3+v^ 2-1=0\), then \[ Li_ 2(v^ 6)+Li_ 2(v^ 5)-2 Li_ 2(v^ 3)+8 Li_ 2(v^ 2)-5 Li_ 2(v)+27 \log^ 2v=\zeta (2). \]