\(\mathbb{Q}\)-linear relations of specific families of multiple zeta values and the linear part of Kawashima's relation (Q2226556)

For positive integers \(k_1,\ldots,k_r\) with \(k_r\ge 2\), the multiple zeta values (MZVs) are defined by \[ \zeta(k_1,\ldots,k_r) =\sum_{1\le n_1<\cdots<n_r}\frac{1}{n_1^{k_1}\cdots n_r^{k_r}}. \] The Kawashima relation (with the shuffle product formula) is a big family of relations among MZVs from which every \(\mathbb{Q}\)-linear relation among them is conjecturally obtained. The linear part of Kawashima's relation is a special case of Kawashima's relation which does not exhaust all \(\mathbb{Q}\)-linear relations but contains several types of well-known relations among MZVs such as the duality formula, the derivation relation, the quasi-derivation relation, the cyclic sum formula, the Ohno relation, and so on. In this paper, the authors study specific families of multiple zeta values which closely relate to the linear part of Kawashima's relation. Moreover, they obtain an explicit basis of these families and investigate their interpolations to complex functions. To state the results precisely, let \(\mathfrak{H}=\mathbb{Q}\langle x,y\rangle\) be the noncommutative polynomial ring in two indeterminates \(x\) and \(y\). Let \(\tau\) be the anti-automorphism on \(\mathfrak{H}\) that interchanges \(x\) and \(y\). Define the \(\mathbb{Q}\)-linear map \(Z:y\mathfrak{H}x\to\mathbb{R}\) by \(Z(yx^{k_1-1}\cdots yx^{k_r-1})=\zeta(k_1,\ldots,k_r)\) and \(f:y\mathfrak{H}\times \mathfrak{H}x\to \mathbb{R}^{\infty}\) by \[ f(A,B)=\left(Z(AB),Z(A(x+y)B),Z(A(x+y)^2B),\ldots\right). \] Finally, define the product \(\diamond\) on \(\mathfrak{H}\), which is shown to be associative and commutative, by \begin{align*} w\diamond 1&=1\diamond w=w, \\ xw_1\diamond xw_2&=x(w_1\diamond xw_2)-x(yw_1\diamond w_2),\\ xw_1\diamond yw_2&=x(w_1\diamond yw_2)+y(xw_1\diamond w_2),\\ yw_1\diamond xw_2&=y(w_1\diamond xw_2)+x(yw_1\diamond w_2),\\ yw_1\diamond yw_2&=y(w_1\diamond yw_2)-y(xw_1\diamond w_2) \end{align*} for \(w,w_1,w_2\in\mathfrak{H}\) together with \(\mathbb{Q}\)-bilinearity. Then, the authors show: \begin{itemize} \item[(i)] For \(w_1,w_2\in\mathfrak{H}\), it holds that \(f(yw_1,w_2x)=f(y,(\tau(w_1)\diamond w_2)x)\). \item[(ii)] For \(w\in \mathfrak{H}\), \(f(y,wx)=0\) if and only if \(w=0\). \item[(iii)] For \(A\in y\mathfrak{H}\) and \(B\in \mathfrak{H}x\), there exist unique Dirichlet series \(L_1(s;A,B)\) and \(L_2(s;A,B)\) such that \(f(A,B)=\left(L_1(s;A,B)+sL_2(s;A,B)\right)^{\infty}_{s=0}\). \end{itemize} As a corollary of (i) and (ii), one sees that \(\{f(y,u_1\cdots u_nx)\,|\,n\in\mathbb{Z}_{\ge 0},\,u_!,\ldots,u_n\in\{x,y\}\}\) is a basis of the \(\mathbb{Q}\)-vector space spanned by \(\{f(yw_1,w_2x)\,|\,w_1,w_2\in\mathfrak{H}\}\). Let \(\phi\) be the automorphism on \(\mathfrak{H}\) defined by \(\phi(x)=x+y\) and \(\phi(y)=-y\). Then, Kawashima's relation asserts that \(Z(\phi(w_1\ast w_2)x)=0\) for \(w_1,w_2\in y\mathfrak{H}\). Here, \(\ast\) is the harmonic product on \(\mathfrak{H}\). To prove (i), the authors show that two \(\mathbb{Q}\)-vector subspaces of \(\mathfrak{H}\) spanned respectively by \(\{\phi(u\ast v)x\,|\,u,v\in y\mathfrak{H}\}\) and \(\{yw_1w_2x-y((\tau(w_1)\diamond w_2)x)\,|\,w_1,w_2\in \mathfrak{H}\}\) are coincident. In this sense, (i) is essentially equivalent to the linear part of Kawashima's relation.