Invariance principles for Diophantine approximation of formal Laurent series over a finite base field (Q2370638)

Consider the set \(\mathbb F((X^{-1}))\) of formal Laurent series over a finite base field, \textit{i.e.}, the set of series \(\sum_{i=-n}^\infty a_{-i}X^{-i}\), where the \(a_i\) are elements of some finite field \(\mathbb F\) of order \(q\). This complete field contains the polynomial ring \(\mathbb F[X]\) and the field of rational functions \(\mathbb F(X)\). The present paper deals with the approximation of elements of \(\mathbb F ((X^{-1}))\) by elements of \(\mathbb F(X)\) in the absolute value induced by the usual valuation on \(\mathbb F[X]\), \textit{i.e.}, \(| P| = q^{\deg (P)}\). The authors prove an invariance principle for the number of co-prime solutions \(P, Q \in \mathbb F[X]\) to the inequality \[ \left| f - {P \over Q}\right| < {{1}\over{q^{2n + l_n}}}, \] where \(f \in \mathbb F((X^{-1}))\), where \(\deg(Q) = n\) and where \((l_n)\) is a sequence of positive integers such that either \(\lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} l_n = l < \infty\), or \(\lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} l_n = \infty\) and \(\lim_{i \rightarrow \infty} \sum_{i < j \leq i + l_i} q^{-l_i}\) exists. The result extends a central limit theorem for the present setting obtained by \textit{M. Fuchs} [Finite Fields Appl. 8, No. 3, 343--368 (2002; Zbl 1013.11034)], and has a functional central limit theorem as well as a functional law of the iterated logarithm among its consequences. This in turn refines the analogue of Khintchine's theorem in the present setting. A corresponding invariance principle is not known for the analogous real number setting. The proof of the main result of the paper is based on a general invariance principle due to \textit{W. Philipp} and \textit{W. Stout} [Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 161, 1--140 (1975; Zbl 0361.60007)]. Random variables related to the number of solutions to the inequalities are introduced. These are subsequently shown to satisfy the assumptions of the general invariance principle. Along the way, the authors obtain a simple proof of a Duffin--Schaeffer type result of \textit{K. Inoue} and \textit{H. Nakada} [Acta Arith. 110, No. 3, 205-218 (2003; Zbl 1049.11073)].