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Algebra Difficulty 7.3 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Brazil

Let (xn)n0(x_n)_{n \ge 0} be a sequence of integer numbers that fulfills a linear recursion of order kk for a fixed positive integer kk, i.e., there exists real constant numbers c1,c2,,ckc_1, c_2, \dots, c_k such that xn+k=r=1kcrxn+krx_{n+k} = \sum_{r=1}^k c_r x_{n+k-r}, n0\forall n \ge 0. Suppose kk is the minimum positive integer with this property. Prove that cjZc_j \in \mathbb{Z}, for all jj, 1jk1 \le j \le k.

Solution

Let (an(i))(a_n^{(i)}) be the sequence of integers obtained by shifting ana_n by ii positions, i.e., an(i)=an+ia_n^{(i)} = a_{n+i}. Then
(an(0)),(an(1)),,(an(k)) (a_n^{(0)}), (a_n^{(1)}), \dots, (a_n^{(k)})
is a basis for the kk-dimensional CC-vector space of sequences (bn)(b_n) satisfying
bn+k=ck1bn+k1++c0bn(n0)() b_{n+k} = c_{k-1}b_{n+k-1} + \dots + c_0b_n \quad (n \ge 0) \quad (*)
In fact, any non-trivial CC-linear relation among (an(0),,an(k1))(a_n^{(0)}, \dots, a_n^{(k-1)}) would
imply that kk is not minimal.

Now let
f(x)=xkck1xk1c0 f(x) = x^k - c_{k-1}x^{k-1} - \dots - c_0
and
α1,,αk\alpha_1, \dots, \alpha_k
be the roots of f(x)f(x) (listed with multiplicity). First, observe that all coefficients cic_i are rational since they are solutions to the linear system with integer coefficients
(a0a1ak1a1a2akak1aka2k2)(c0c1ck1)=(akak+1a2k1) \begin{pmatrix} a_0 & a_1 & \dots & a_{k-1} \\ a_1 & a_2 & \dots & a_k \\ \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\ a_{k-1} & a_k & \dots & a_{2k-2} \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} c_0 \\ c_1 \\ \vdots \\ c_{k-1} \end{pmatrix} = \begin{pmatrix} a_k \\ a_{k+1} \\ \vdots \\ a_{2k-1} \end{pmatrix}

tn=α1n+α2n++αkn(n0) t_n = \alpha_1^n + \alpha_2^n + \dots + \alpha_k^n \quad (n \ge 0)
Then all tnQt_n \in \mathbb{Q} (they are symmetric expression on the roots of f(x)Q[x]f(x) \in \mathbb{Q}[x]) and the tnt_n satisfy ()(*), hence there are rir_i such that
tn=r0an(0)+r1an(1)++rk1an(k1) t_n = r_0 a_n^{(0)} + r_1 a_n^{(1)} + \dots + r_{k-1} a_n^{(k-1)}

To sum up, if d>0d > 0 is an integer such that driZdr_i \in \mathbb{Z}, i=0,1,,k1i = 0, 1, \dots, k-1, then
dtnZ dt_n \in \mathbb{Z}
for all nn. Next, we show that this implies that the αi\alpha_i are algebraic integers, which in turn implies that all the cic_i are integers, finishing the problem.
By Newton's identities, we may write the elementary symmetric polynomials in αn\alpha^n as polynomials with rational coefficients of
tn=α1n++αknt2n=α12n++αk2ntkn=α1kn++αkkn \begin{align*} t_n &= \alpha_1^n + \dots + \alpha_k^n \\ t_{2n} &= \alpha_1^{2n} + \dots + \alpha_k^{2n} \\ &\vdots \\ t_{kn} &= \alpha_1^{kn} + \dots + \alpha_k^{kn} \end{align*}
Therefore the minimal polynomials of αin\alpha_i^n over Q\mathbb{Q} have coefficients with bounded denominators, independent of nn (they depend only on dd and kk). Hence there exists an integer Δ>0\Delta > 0 such that Δαin\Delta \cdot \alpha_i^n are algebraic integers for all nn. But that implies that the ring Z[αi]\mathbb{Z}[\alpha_i] is contained in the finitely generated Z\mathbb{Z}-module 1ΔOQ(αi)\frac{1}{\Delta}\mathcal{O}_{\mathbb{Q}(\alpha_i)}, where OQ(αi)\mathcal{O}_{\mathbb{Q}(\alpha_i)} is the ring of algebraic integers in the field Q(αi)\mathbb{Q}(\alpha_i). Therefore Z[αi]\mathbb{Z}[\alpha_i] itself is finitely generated as a Z\mathbb{Z}-module (use the fact that Z\mathbb{Z} is noetherian or that OQ(αi)\mathcal{O}_{\mathbb{Q}(\alpha_i)} is a free Z\mathbb{Z}-module, together with the structure theorem of finitely generated modules over a PID). Hence αi\alpha_i is an algebraic integer, as required.

Alternatively, suppose that αi\alpha_i is not an algebraic integer, so that it has prime ideal factorization
(αi)=p1e1pses (\alpha_i) = p_1^{e_1} \dots p_s^{e_s}
with ei<0e_i < 0 for some ii, say e1e_1.
Then
(Δαin)=(Δ)p1ne1psnes (\Delta \alpha_i^n) = (\Delta) \cdot p_1^{ne_1} \dots p_s^{ne_s}
would have a negative p1p_1-exponent for nn sufficiently large, contradicting the fact that Δαin\Delta \cdot \alpha_i^n is an algebraic integer for all n0n \ge 0.

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