On the behaviour of \(p\)-adic \(L\)-functions (Q2268808)

For an odd prime \(p\), let \(L_p(s,\chi)\) be the Leopoldt-Kubota \(p\)-adic \(L\)-function attached to a Dirichlet character \(\chi\), \(\lambda_\chi\) the \(\lambda\)-invariant of the Iwasawa power series representing \(L_p(s,\chi)\), \(D_s\) the domain of definition of \(L_p(s,\chi)\), \(K\) a finite extension of \({\mathbb Q}_p\), \(K_\chi\) the extension of \({\mathbb Q}_p\) generated by the values of \(\chi\), \(\Delta_uL_p(s,\chi)=L_p(s+u,\chi)-L_p(s,\chi)\). Assume that \(\chi\) is non-principal and even, with conductor not divisible by \(p^2\). Let \(u\in D_s,u\neq 0\) an algebraic element over \({\mathbb Q}_p\). The author proves: if \(1\leq \lambda_\chi\leq p-1\), then there exists a unique \(s_0\in D_s\) such that \[ \Delta_u^{\lambda_\chi-1}L_p(s_0,\chi)=0, \] provided that the ramification index \(e\) of the extension \(K_\chi(u)/{\mathbb Q}_p\) is less than \(p-1\); moreover, \(s_0\in K_\chi(u)\) and the \(p\)-adic valuation of \(s_0\) is \(\geq -1+\frac 1e\); if \(0\leq \lambda_\chi\leq p-1\), then \[ \forall s\in D_s,\Delta_u^{\lambda_\chi}L_p(s,\chi)\neq 0. \] As an application one obtains congruences for generalized Bernoulli numbers. For the ordinary Bernoulli numbers \(B^m\): \[ \sum_{k=0}^{\lambda_\chi-1}\binom{\lambda_\chi-1}{k}(-1)^{\lambda_\chi-1-k}(1-p^{t_n-1+k(p-1)})\frac{B^{t_n+k(p-1)}}{t_n+k(p-1)}\equiv 0\pmod {p^{n+\lambda_\chi}}, \] where \(t_n\to\infty\) as \(n\to\infty\).