On Diophantine approximations to \(\log x\) (Q690571)

The \textit{measure of irrationality} \(\mu(\gamma)\) of a real number \(\gamma\) is the least value \(\mu\) such that, for any \(\epsilon>0\), there are only finitely many rationals \(p/q\) with \[ \left|\gamma-\frac{p}{q}\right|<\frac{1}{q^{\mu+\epsilon}}. \] This value quantifies how efficiently \(\gamma\) can be approximated by rational numbers, and a well-known theorem of Roth shows that every irrational real algebraic number has measure of irrationality 2. The paper under review gives new upper bounds on the measures of irrationality of transcendental numbers of a certain form. For example, one application of the main theorem of the paper is that \[ \mu\left(\log\frac{5}{3}\right)\leq 5.512\ldots, \] an improvement of the upper bound of 5.651\(\ldots\) obtained by \textit{E. S. Sal'nikova} [J. Math. Sci., New York 182, No. 4, 539--551 (2012; Zbl 1331.11053); translation from Fundam. Prikl. Mat. 16, No. 6, 139--155 (2010)]. The main result of the paper is that for any \(r_1, r_2\in \mathbb{Q}\) and \(d\in \mathbb{N}\), the number \[ \Theta_d=r_1\log\frac{2d+1}{2d-1}+r_2\frac{1}{\sqrt{4d^2-1}}\text{arctan}\frac{1}{\sqrt{4d^2-1}} \] admits the bound \[ \mu(\Theta_d)\leq 1-\frac{2+\log|f(t_1)|}{2+\log|f(t_2)|}, \] where \(h=(8d^2-1)^2\), \[ f(t)=\frac{t(t^2-2t+h)}{(t-h)^2}, \] and \(t_1\), and \(t_2\) respectively, are the real root, and one of the complex roots respectively, of the equation \[ \frac{1}{t}+\frac{2t-2}{t^2-2t+h}-\frac{2}{t-h}=0. \]