On some \(p\)-adic power series attached to the arithmetic of \(\mathbb Q(\zeta_p)\)
For a prime \(p>2\) and an even nontrivial character \(\theta\) with conductor \(f_\theta\) not divisible by \(p^2\), let \(f(T,\theta) = \sum_{k=0}^\infty a_kT^k\) denote the Iwasawa power series representing the \(p\)-adic \(L\)-function \(L_p(s,\theta)\). By the Ferrero--Washington theorem, the \(\mu\)-invariant of \(f(T,\theta)\) is zero, that is, at least one \(a_k\) is a \(p\)-adic unit. Assuming that \(f_\theta = p\), the author proves that the derivative of \(f(T,\theta)\) does not vanish mod \(p\). Thus, there is a coefficient \(a_k\) such that both \(k\) and \(a_k\) are prime to \(p\). To describe the proof, let \(\omega\) denote the cyclotomic character mod \(p\) and let \(\mu_d'\) be the set of primitive \(d\)th roots of 1, where \(d\geq 1\), \(\,d\) prime to \(p\). Assume that \(\rho\in\mu_{\ell}'\), where \(\ell\) is a prime \(\geq p^2\). The author studies a power series that may be defined by \[ M(T,\theta,\rho) \equiv (\rho^{p^{n+1}}-1)^{-1}\sum_k \rho^k(\theta\omega^{-1})(k)(1+T)^{i(k)} \pmod {(1+T)^{p^n}-1} \] for all \(n\geq 0\), where the sum is extended over \(1 \leq k \leq p^{n+1}-1\), with \(k\) prime to \(p\), and where \(i(k)= \text{ Log}_p(k)/\text{ Log}_p(1+p)\) (\(\text{Log}_p\) means the \(p\)-adic logarithm on an algebraic closure of \({\mathbb Q}_p\)). He considers the derivative of this power series and proves that \(\sum_{\rho\in\mu_{\ell}'}M'(T,\theta,\rho)\not\equiv 0 \!\! \pmod p\) whenever \(\ell\) belongs to a certain residue class mod \(p\). Here use is made of Sinnott's lemma (Lemma 16.9 in \textit{L. C. Washington}'s book ``Introduction to cyclotomic fields'' [2nd ed., Springer (1997; Zbl 0966.11047)]) which was crucial in Sinnott's proof of the Ferrero-Washington theorem. The final result then follows from the relationship \[ \sum_{\rho\in\mu_d'}M(T,\theta,\rho) = -f((1+T)^{-1}-1,\,\theta) \bigg(\sum_{\ell\mid d} \ell\mu(d/\ell)(\theta\omega^{-1})(\ell) (1+T)^{i(\ell)}\bigg), \] where \(\mu(\cdot)\) is the Möbius function and \(d \geq 2\). The author also treats the power series \(g(T,\theta) = \big(1-(1+dp)(1+T)^{-1}\big)f(T,\theta)\), where \(f_\theta = d\) or \(dp\) with \(d \geq 1\), \(\,d\) prime to \(p\). Again it is known that \(g(T,\theta)\) is nonzero modulo a prime of \({\mathbb Q}_p(\theta)\), and the author applies Sinnott's lemma to prove that the same is true of \(g'(T,\theta)\).
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