cp's OEIS Frontend

It is well known that (x^{p^n}-1)/(x^{p^{n-1}}-1) is irreducible over the rationals for any prime p and positive integer n.

We have the following "Reciprocity Law": For any positive integer n and primes p > 2 and q, the cyclotomic polynomial (x^{p^n}-1)/(x^{p^{n-1}}-1) is irreducible modulo q if and only if q is a primitive root modulo p^n.

This can be proved as follows: As any monic irreducible polynomial over F_q=Z/qZ of degree k divides x^{q^k}-x in the ring F_q[x], the polynomial f(x)= (x^{p^n}-1)/(x^{p^{n-1}}-1) in F_q[x] has an irreducible factor of degree k < deg f if and only if f(x) is not coprime to x^{q^k}-x for some k < p^n-p^{n-1}. Note that gcd(x^{p^n}-1,x^{q^k-1}-1) = x^{gcd(p^n,q^k-1)}-1. If p^n | q^k-1, then x^{p^n}-1 | x^{q^k}-x and hence f(x) divides x^{q^k}-x; if p^n does not divide q^k-1, then gcd(x^{p^n}-1,x^{q^k-1}-1) divides x^{p^{n-1}}-1 and hence f(x) is coprime to x^{q^k}-x. Thus, f(x) is irreducible modulo q, if and only if p^n | q^k-1 for no 0 < k < p^n-p^{n-1}, i.e., q is a primitive root modulo p^n.

By the above "Reciprocity Law" in the case n=1, we have a(k) = A002233(k) for all k > 1.

Conjecture: a(n) <= sqrt(7*p_n) for all n>0.

An example of Sun's conjecture in A217788: For a(n)>5, also bases b such [2;3;5] seen as a number written in base b, is prime.

Conjecture: For any n > 1 we have a(n) < F(n+4); moreover, there are infinitely many integers b > F(n) such that sum_{k=1}^n F(k)*b^{k-1} is prime.