Journal of Integer Sequences, Vol. 12 (2009), Article 09.4.7

Verifying Two Conjectures on Generalized Elite Primes


Xiaoqin Li
Mathematics Department
Anhui Normal University
Wuhu 241000, Anhui
People's Republic of China

Abstract:

A prime number $p$ is called $b$-elite if only finitely many generalized Fermat numbers $F_{b,n}=b^{2^n}+1$ are quadratic residues modulo $p$. Let $p$ be a prime. Write $p-1=2^rh$ with $r\geq 0$ and $h$ odd. Define the length of the b-Fermat period of $p$ to be the minimal natural number $L$ such that $F_{b,r+L}\equiv F_{b,r}  (\bmod  p).$ Recently Müller and Reinhart derived three conjectures on $b$-elite primes, two of them being the following. (1) For every natural number $b>1$ there is a $b$-elite prime. (2) There are generalized elite primes with elite periods of arbitrarily large lengths. We extend Müller and Reinhart's observations and computational results to further support above two conjectures. We show that Conjecture 1 is true for $b\leq10^{13}$ and that for every possible length $1\leq L\leq40$ there actually exists a generalized elite prime with elite period length $L$.


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(Concerned with sequence A102742.)

Received January 5 2009; revised version received June 4 2009. Published in Journal of Integer Sequences, June 20 2009.


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