Note on a paper by Mahler (Q1327645)

Mahler used the function \(F_ \omega (z_ 1, z_ 2)= \sum_{h_ 1=1}^ \infty \sum_{h_ 2=1} ^{[h_ 1 \omega]} z_ 1^{h_ 1} z_ 2^{h_ 2}\), where \(\omega\) is a real quadratic irrational, as an example of so-called Mahler's method in transcendence theory. The author demonstrates the algebraic independence of the functions \(\partial^{k_ 1+ k_ 2} F_ \omega (z_ 1, z_ 2)/ \partial z_ 1^{k_ 1} z_ 2^{k_ 2}\) over \(\mathbb{C} (z_ 1, z_ 2)\), whence, by Mahler's method, the values of these functions at suitable algebraic points \((\alpha_ 1, \alpha_ 2)\) are algebraically independent. The same holds for the function \(f(z)= F_ \omega (z,1)= \sum_{h=1}^ \infty [h\omega ]z^ h\) and its derivatives. The proof depends on a theorem of \textit{K. K. Kubota} [Math. Ann. 227, 9- 50 (1977; Zbl 0359.10030)]. If the derivatives are algebraically dependent, then they are linearly dependent and there is a linear combination with rational coefficients of the functions \(f_{ij} (z)= \sum_{h=1}^ \infty h^ i [h\omega ]^ j z^ h\) equal to a rational function. The coefficients of this rational function are at the same time polynomials in \(h\) and \(\{h \omega\}\) and also exponential polynomials and this leads elegantly to a contradiction based on the uniform distribution of the sequence \([h \omega]\) modulo 1.