Mock characters and the Kronecker symbol (Q1786705)

``Mock characters'' are defined (see Definition A) and characterized in terms of \(q\)-automatic sequences. An application to the Kronecker symbol is Theorem B below. The authors conjectured that mock characters are completely multiplicative functions at a bounded distance from some Dirichlet character. Definition A. Given an integer \(q\) exceeding \(1\) a completely multiplicative map \(\kappa\) from \(\mathbb{Z}\) to \(\mathbb{C}\) is a ``mock character of mockulus \(q\)'' if and only if both conditions (a) and (b) hold. (a) The sequence \(\kappa(n)_{n \geq 0}\) is \(q\)-automatic but not eventually periodic. (b) There exists a positive integer \(d\) such that \(\kappa(n)=0\) \(\Longleftrightarrow\) \(n=0\) or \(\gcd(n,d) \neq 1\). Theorem B. If \(a \equiv 3 \pmod{4}\) then \(n \mapsto\) \(\frac{a}{n}\) is a mock character of mockulus \(2\).