Arithmetic density and congruences of \(t\)-core partitions (Q6085219)

A partition of an integer \(n\) is called a \(t\)-core partition, \(t\) being a positive integer, if none of its hook length is divisible by \(t\). Set \(a_t(n)\) the number of such partitions. The study of congruence properties verified by \(a_t(n)\) has been widely studied by many authors, see for instance the work of \textit{F. Garvan} et al. [Invent. Math. 101, No. 1, 1--17 (1990; Zbl 0721.11039)] or the works of Ono and coauthors (for instance [\textit{A. Granville} and \textit{K. Ono}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 348, No. 1, 331--347 (1996; Zbl 0855.20007)]). Motivated by results obtained by \textit{M. D. Hirschhorn} and \textit{J. A. Sellers} [Bull. Aust. Math. Soc. 99, No. 1, 51--55 (2019; Zbl 1423.11177)] on a parity result for \(a_3(n)\), \textit{A. Jindal} and \textit{N. K. Meher} [Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., Math. Sci. 133, No. 2, Paper No. 32, 19 p. (2023; Zbl 1523.11185)] proved density results for \(a_3(n)\) as well as \(a_3(n)\) is almost divisible by arbitrary powers of \(2\) and \(3\). In this article, the authors extend this result to \(a_{3^{\alpha}m}(n)\) where \(\alpha\) is a nonnegative integer and \(m\) a strictly positive integer. Set \(t\) an integer such that its decomposition in primes is \(p_1^{\alpha_1}p_2^{\alpha_2}\dots p_m^{\alpha_m}\), where \(p_i\geq 5\). The authors prove that in this case \(a_t(n)\) is almost always divisible by arbitrary powers of \(p_i\). These density results are mostly obtained using the corollary of Theorem \(1\) of \textit{J.-P. Serre} [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. A 279, 679--682 (1974; Zbl 0304.10017)] as well as the following relation \[ \left(q;q\right)_\infty^{p^j}:=\prod_{k\geq 1} (1-q^k)^{p^j}\equiv \left(q^p;q^p\right)_\infty^{p^{j-1}}\pmod{p^j}. \] Moreover, Theorem 1.5, which is a generalization of the results of \textit{S. Radu} and \textit{J. A. Sellers} [Acta Arith. 146, No. 1, 43--52 (2011; Zbl 1226.11112)], yields alternate proofs of several congruences modulo \(3\) and \(5\) for \(a_p(n)\), \(p\) being a prime number. Indeed the algorithmic approach developed in this paper enables the derivation of a congruence relation on the number of \(t\)-cores for instance by checking this congruence on a finite set of values.