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Main Authors: Swart, Christine, Hone, Andrew
Format: Preprint
Published: 2005
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0508094
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author Swart, Christine
Hone, Andrew
author_facet Swart, Christine
Hone, Andrew
contents Somos 4 sequences are a family of sequences defined by a fourth-order quadratic recurrence relation with constant coefficients. For particular choices of the coefficients and the four initial data, such recurrences can yield sequences of integers. Fomin and Zelevinsky have used the theory of cluster algebras to prove that these recurrences also provide one of the simplest examples of the Laurent phenomenon: all the terms of a Somos 4 sequence are Laurent polynomials in the initial data. The integrality of certain Somos 4 sequences has previously been understood in terms of the Laurent phenomenon. However, each of the authors of this paper has independently established the precise correspondence between Somos 4 sequences and sequences of points on elliptic curves. Here we show that these sequences satisfy a stronger condition than the Laurent property, and hence establish a broad set of sufficient conditions for integrality. As a by-product, non-periodic sequences provide infinitely many solutions of an associated quartic Diophantine equation in four variables. The analogous results for Somos 5 sequences are also presented, as well as various examples, including parameter families of Somos 4 integer sequences.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_math_0508094
institution arXiv
publishDate 2005
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Integrality and the Laurent phenomenon for Somos 4 sequences
Swart, Christine
Hone, Andrew
Number Theory
Combinatorics
Somos 4 sequences are a family of sequences defined by a fourth-order quadratic recurrence relation with constant coefficients. For particular choices of the coefficients and the four initial data, such recurrences can yield sequences of integers. Fomin and Zelevinsky have used the theory of cluster algebras to prove that these recurrences also provide one of the simplest examples of the Laurent phenomenon: all the terms of a Somos 4 sequence are Laurent polynomials in the initial data. The integrality of certain Somos 4 sequences has previously been understood in terms of the Laurent phenomenon. However, each of the authors of this paper has independently established the precise correspondence between Somos 4 sequences and sequences of points on elliptic curves. Here we show that these sequences satisfy a stronger condition than the Laurent property, and hence establish a broad set of sufficient conditions for integrality. As a by-product, non-periodic sequences provide infinitely many solutions of an associated quartic Diophantine equation in four variables. The analogous results for Somos 5 sequences are also presented, as well as various examples, including parameter families of Somos 4 integer sequences.
title Integrality and the Laurent phenomenon for Somos 4 sequences
topic Number Theory
Combinatorics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0508094