Algebraicity of the zeta function associated to a matrix over a free group algebra (Q2509409)

Let \(KF_n\) be the algebra of non-commutative Laurent polynomials in \(n\) variables over a commutative ring \(K\). For an element \(a\in KF_n\), the constant term \(\mathrm{Tr}(a)\) can be regarded as a ``trace'' of \(a\), and accordingly, there is a ``characteristic polynomial'' \[ P_a(t)=\mathrm{det}(1-ta)=\mathrm{exp}\bigl(-\sum_{k=1}^\infty \frac{\mathrm{Tr}(a^k)}{k}t^k\bigr)\in K[[t]]. \] For \(K=\mathbb C\), \textit{M. Kontsevich} [``Noncommutative identities'', talk at Mathematische Arbeitstagung 2011, Bonn; \url{arXiv:1109.2469}] recently proved that \(P_a\) is algebraic, that is, \(P_a\in \overline{\mathbb C(t)}\cap\mathbb C[[t]]\subset\overline{\mathbb C((t))}\). His sketch of proof reduced the statement to the series \[ F_a(t)=\sum_{k=1}^\infty\mathrm{Tr}(a^k)t^k \] which is known to be algebraic. As \(P_a'(t)=-\frac{F_a}{t}P_a\), the result then reduces to a known special case of the Grothendieck conjecture on algebraicity. The present paper generalizes Kontsevich's result to ``zeta function'' \(P_a(t)\) where \(a\) is replaced by a square matrix over \(\mathbb Q F_n\).