A Skolem–Mahler–Lech theorem in positive characteristic and finite automata

By Harm Derksen. 2005

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Lech proved in 1953 that the set of zeroes of a linear recurrence sequence in a field of characteristic 0 is the union of a finite set and finitely many infinite arithmetic progressions. This result is known as the Skolem–Mahler–Lech theorem. Lech gave a counterexample to a similar statement in positive characteristic. We will present some more pathological examples. We will state and prove a correct analog of the Skolem–Mahler–Lech theorem in positive characteristic. The zeroes of a recurrence sequence in positive characteristic can be described using finite automata.

Subfields: Computational Theory and Mathematics, Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics

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