On sums of polynomial-type exceptional units in \(\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}\) (Q2297528)

A unit \(u\) in a commutative ring \(R\) with unity is said to be \textit{exceptional} or in brief \textit{exunit} if \(u - 1\) is also a unit in \( R\). We denote by \(\mathcal{E}_n\) the set of exunits in the ring \(\mathbb Z/n\mathbb Z\). This set consists of the classes modulo \(n\) of integers \(a\) satisfying \(\gcd(f(a),n) = 1\), where \(f(X) = X(X-1)\). More generally, consider an integer \(n\geq 2\) and \(f(X)\) a polynomial with integer coefficients. An integer \(a\in \{1,\ldots,n\}\) is said to be an \(f-exunit\) if \(\gcd(f(a), n) = 1\). We denote by \(\mathcal{E}_{f,n}\) the set of all \(f\)-exunits in \(\mathbb Z/n\mathbb Z\). Clearly \(\mathcal{E}_{X(X-1),n}= \mathcal{E}_n\). Remark that the existence of an exunit in \(\mathbb Z/n\mathbb Z\) is equivalent to the existence of a solution of the equation \(x + y = 1\) with \(x, y \in (\mathbb Z/n\mathbb Z)^*\). \textit{J. W. Sander} [J. Number Theory 159, 1--6 (2016; Zbl 1356.11014)] determined the number of solutions of the equation \(x + y = c\), where \(1\leq c \leq n-1\), with \(x, y\in \mathcal{E}_n\). In the paper under review the analogous problem for \(f\)-exunits for certain infinite families of polynomials \(f(X)\) is studied. More precisely, let \(a_1, \dots, a_r, b_1,\dots,b_r\) be positive integers satisfying \(\gcd(a_jt + b_j, a_kt + b_k) = 1\) for all \(1 \leq j \neq k \leq r\) and for every integer \(t\), \(n \geq 2\) be an integer such that \(\gcd (n, \prod_{i=1}^r a_ib_i) = 1\). Consider the polynomial \(f(X) = \prod_{i=1}^r(a_iX + b_i)\), \(c\in \{1,\ldots, n- 1\}\), and the set \[ \mathcal{E}_{f,n}(c) := \{(x, y)\in \mathcal{E}_{f,n} \times \mathcal{E}_{f,n}:x + y \equiv c\pmod n\}. \] Then, it is proved that \[ |\mathcal{E}_{f,n}(c)| = n \prod_{p\mid n} \left(1 - \frac{N^f(p, c)}{p}\right), \] where \(N^f(p, c)\) is the number of elements \(l\pmod p\) such that either \(f(l) \equiv 0\pmod p\) or \(f(c-l ) \equiv 0\pmod p\).