Index of maximality and Goss zeta function (Q2514537)

Editorial remark: Accidentally, this article has been issued twice for reviewing. Therefore, we display both reviews, by adding the second one to the originally published review: The authors define the index of maximality \(m(y)\) for a positive number \(y\). They show that this number is the maximal number \(m\) such that the set \(V_m(y)\) of partitions of \(y\) in \(m\) non-negative integers with some conditions is non-empty. The set \(V_m(y)\) is related to the vanishing of the power sum \(S'_m(y)=\sum_f f^y\) studied by Carlitz, where \(f\) runs over all monic polynomials of degree \(m\) over a finite field. By proving that \(m(y)\) is equal to the degree of Goss zeta function, they show the invariance of the degree of Goss zeta function under a certain permutation group of \(\mathbb Z_p\) and study the properties of an equivalence relation on \(\mathbb Z_p\), which depends on the Newton polygon of the Goss zeta function. Further, they give an algorithm to calculate the sets \(V_i(y),1\leq i\leq m(y)\). Reviewer: Noburo Ishii (Kyoto) \textit{J. Sheats} [J. Number Theory 71, No.1, 121--157 (1998); Zbl 0918.11030] proved the Riemann hypothesis for the Goss zeta function for \({\mathbb F}_q[T]\). The main part of Sheat's paper is concerned with a combinatorial proof of certain power sums stated by Leonard Carlitz without a complete proof. Let \(y\in {\mathbb N}\) and let \(U_m(y)\) be the set of \(m\)--tuples \((X_1,\ldots,X_m)\) where \(X_i\) is a nonnegative integer for all \(1\leq i\leq m\) such that \(y=\sum X_i\); there is no \(p\)--adic carry in the sum and, for \(1\leq i\leq m-1\), \(X_i>0\) and \((q-1)\mid X_i\). For an \(m\)--tuple \(X=(X_1,\ldots,X_m)\in {\mathbb Z}_{\geq 0}^m\), the weight of \(X\) is \(wt(X)=\sum_{i=1}^m iX_i\). An \textit{optimal} element of a subset \(W\subseteq {\mathbb Z}_{\geq 0}^m\) is an element of maximal weight in \(W\). The \textit{greedy} element of \(W\) is the tuple \((G_1,\ldots,G_m)\in W\) for which \((G_m, G_{m-1},\ldots, G_1)\) is the largest in the lexicographical order. Let \(V_m(y)=\{(X_1,\ldots,X_m)\in U_m(y)\mid X_m>0\}\). One the main results of Sheats is the proof that if \(V_m(y)\neq \emptyset\), then it contains a single optimal element and this optimal element is the greedy element of \(V_m(y)\). The proof of the Riemann hypothesis depends on the vanishing of some Carlitz power sums: \(S_m^{\prime}(y)=\sum_{ f\in A^+ \atop \deg f=m} f^y\) where \(y\in{\mathbb N}\), \(A={\mathbb F}_q[T]\) and \(A^+\) is the set of monic polynomials. \textit{L. Carlitz} [Duke Math. J. \textbf{15}, 1001--1012 (1948); Zbl 0032.00303] stated that \(S_m^{\prime}(y)\neq 0\) if and only if \(U_{m+1}(y)\neq \emptyset\). Sheats proved this statement. In this paper, for a non-negative integer \(y\) it is defined the \textit{index of maximality} \({\mathfrak m}(y)\) which is the maximum number of vectors in certain basis related with Sheat's proof. The index of maximality determines the maximum positive integer \(m\) such that \(V_m(y)\neq \emptyset\). The authors give an algorithm to find \(V_i(y)\), \(1\leq i\leq {\mathfrak m}(y)\) explicitly. In the case \(q=p\), \({\mathfrak m}(y)=\lceil \ell_p(y)/(p-1)\rceil\) where for any \(q=p^r\) we define \(\ell_q:=\sum_{i=0}^{\omega} y_i\) with \(y=\sum_{i=0}^{\omega} y_i q^i\) the \(q\)--adic expansion of \(y\), that is, \(0\leq y_i\leq q-1\) and \(\lceil \cdot \rceil\) denotes the ceiling function. In the general case, we have that if \(q=p^r\) and \(y\in{\mathbb Z}_{\geq 0}\), then \(V_1(y),\ldots, V_m(y)\neq \emptyset\) and \(V_{m+1}(y)=\emptyset\) where \(m={\mathfrak m}(y)\). The authors use the index of maximality \(m={\mathfrak m}(y)\) to show that the degree \(d\) in \(x^{-1}\) of \(\zeta(x,-y)\) is \(m-1\) if \(q-1\nmid \ell_q(y)\) and \(m\) if \(q-1\mid \ell_q(y)\) where \(\zeta(x,-y)\) is the Goss zeta function. Finally, the properties of an equivalence relation on \({\mathbb Z}_p\) depending on the Newton polygon of the Goss zeta function are generalized for all \(q\). Reviewer: Gabriel D. Villa-Salvador (México D. F.)