On the values of Heine series at algebraic points (Q2425806)

The paper is a research on linear independence of certain values of \(q\)-hypergeometric series of the form \[ f(z):= \sum^\infty_{k=0} \frac{\prod^{k-1}_{j=0} P(q^j)}{\prod^{k-1}_{j=0} Q(q^j)}\,z^k. \] Here \(P\) and \(Q\) are polynomials of an algebraic numbers field \(\mathbb{K}\), \(P(x):= x^d\), \(\mathbb{Q}(x):= (1- q^{\beta_1}x)\cdots(1- q^{\beta_N}x)(1- b_{N+1}x)\cdots(1- b_nx)\); \(q\) and \(b_j\) (\(b_j\neq q^k\) forall \(k= 0,-1,-2,\dots\)) are elements of \(\mathbb{K}\); \(d\), \(N\), \(n\) are natural numbers, \(0\leq N\leq n< d\); and \(\beta_1,\dots, \beta_N\) denote nonzero natural numbers (empty products are defined to be 1). We give the qualitative part of the result in the paper: Let \(v\) be a fixed place of \(\mathbb{K}\) and \(|q|_v< 1\), \(s= [\mathbb{K}:\mathbb{Q}]\), \(s_v= [\mathbb{K}_v: \mathbb{Q}_v]\), \(\mathbb{K}_v\) the completion of \(\mathbb{K}\) at \(v\), \(\alpha\in \mathbb{K}\), \(h(\alpha)= \max\{1,|\alpha|^{s_v/s}_v\}\), \(\gamma= \frac{s\log h(1/q)}{s_v\log h|1/q|_v}\). Let \(\alpha_1,\dots, \alpha_D\) be nonzero elements of \(\mathbb{K}\) satisfying \(\alpha_i/\alpha_j\not\in q^{\mathbb{Z}}\) for all \(i\neq j\) and let \(U\in\mathbb{N}\setminus\{0\}\). Suppose that \(\gamma< \frac{M}{M-1}\), where \[ M:= \frac{d}{2(d- n)^2} \big\{(1+ 2DU)(d- n)+ n^2 DU- N+ \sqrt{\widetilde M}\big\} \] with \[ \widetilde M:= (n+ n^2 DU- N- d)^2+ 4(d- n)(1+ dDU)(n^2 DU- N)+ 4d^2 D^2 U^2(d- n)^2. \] Then the numbers \(1\), \(f^{(u)} (\alpha_t q^P)\), \(p= 0,1,\dots, d-1\); \(t= 1,\dots, D\); \(u= 0,1,\dots, U-1\) belonging to \(\mathbb{K}_v\) are linearly independent over \(\mathbb{K}\). A good measure for the linear independence is given also. The proof uses Padé approximation of a kind which, as far as I know, was first applied by W. Maier to give some results on irrationality, later it was used by \textit{Th. Stihl} [Math. Ann. 268, 21--41 (1984; Zbl 0519.10024)] and \textit{M. Katsurada} [Math. Ann. 284, No. 3, 449--460 (1989; Zbl 0653.10031)]. At the end of the introduction there is an interesting discussion of the connection of the results with other papers about \(q\)-Heine series e.g. the case of the \(q\)-exponential function (\(P(x)= x\), \(Q(x)= 1- qx\)) which is not included or in the case of more general polynomials \(P\) and \(Q\).