Some basic results in elementary number theory in function fields (Q746943)

In this paper, the author discusses Carlitz module analogues of some arithmetic functions in number fields. Consider \(k={\mathbb F}_q(T)\), \(A={\mathbb F}_q[T]\) and let \(A_+\) be the set of monic polynomials in \(A\). Let \(C\) be the Carlitz module on \(A\). Then the analogue of Euler's totient function is defined as \(\phi_C(m)=\prod_{i=1}^r \wp_i^{\alpha_i-1}(\wp_i-1)\), where \(m=\varepsilon\prod_{i=1}^r \wp_i^{\alpha_i}\) is the prime factorization of \(m\in A\), \(\varepsilon\in {\mathbb F}_q^{\ast}\) and \(\wp_i\) are distinct monic irreducible polynomials in \(A\). Then, it is proved that \(C_{\phi_C(m)}(u)\equiv 0\bmod m\) for any \(u\in A\) and that \(\sum_{u|m\atop u \text{ monic}}\phi_C(u)=m\). Next, in the classical case Carmichael conjecture states that for a given natural number \(m\), the equation \(\phi(x)=m\) cannot have exactly one solution. In the function field case the author, using a result of Hall that establishes that for \(q>2\), there exist infinitely many polynomials \(P\) in \(A\) such that both \(P\) and \(P+1\) are monic irreducible, proves that there exist infinitely many monic irreducible polynomials \(P\) in \(A\) such that \(\phi_C(x)=P\) has exactly one solution \(x\in A_+\). Sierpiński's conjecture establishes that for any \(n\geq 2\), there exists an integer \(m\) such that \(\phi(x)=m\) has exactly \(n\) solutions. In the last part of the paper is proposed an analogue of this conjecture in the function field case and some special cases are discussed.