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David E Speyer
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I know how I want to answer this question. I'll write up the easy parts here, and leave the hard part for you :).


First some minor changes. It will be convenient to clear out denominators and work with $\log \left( 4 + e^{2 \pi i x} + e^{- 2 \pi i x} + e^{2 \pi i y} + e^{- 2 \pi i y} \right)$. That just changes the constant term of your Fourier series by $\log 2$. Next, it is convenient to focus on $$ \int_0^1 \int_0^1 \log \left( 4 + e^{2 \pi i x} + e^{- 2 \pi i x} + e^{2 \pi i y} + e^{- 2 \pi i y} \right) e^{2 \pi i m x} e^{2 \pi i n y} dx dy.$$ A simple linear transformation goes between this and the cosine formulation. Let $S = \{ (z,w) : |z|=|w|=1 \}$. So we are dealing with $$\frac{1}{(2 \pi i )^2} \int_S \log \left( 4+z+z^{-1} + w +w^{-1} \right) z^{m-1} w^{n-1} dz dw.$$ Dropping out the $4 \pi ^2$, we want to show the integrand is of the form $a \pi + b$. Now, assuming that $(m,n) \neq (0,0)$, we can integrate by parts with respect to one of the two variables. Once we do that, we will have a quantity of the form $$ (\mbox{rational number}) \cdot \int_S \frac{w^k z^{\ell} dw dz} {4+w+w^{-1}+z+z^{-1}}$$ I would focus on showing this integral is of the form $a \pi +b$. I think that, once the problem is cast in this form, there should no longer be any exceptional behavior at the origin.


Whew! Now comes the actual hard part. Let $$E:=\{ (z,w) \in (\mathbb{C}^*)^2 : \ 4+z+z^{-1}+w+w^{-1} =0 \}.$$ This is an elliptic curve with four punctures. The $2$-form $dw dz/(4+z+z^{-1}+w+w^{-1})$ has a simple pole on $E$. Let $\omega$ be the one form on $E$ which is the residue of that $2$-form.

I think there should be a curve $\gamma$ in $E$ such that $S$ is homotopic, in $(\mathbb{C}^*)^2 \setminus E$, to a tubular neighborhood of $\gamma$. So $$\int_S \frac{w^k z^{\ell} dw dz} {4+w+w^{-1}+z+z^{-1}} = \int_{\gamma} \omega w^k z^{\ell}.$$


And, well, this is where I wimp out. If $E$ is any elliptic curve defined over $\mathbb{Q}$, $\gamma$ a curve in $E$, and $\eta$ any meromorphic $1$-form defined over $\mathbb{Q}$, then $\int_{\gamma} \eta$ should be of the form $a+b \pi + c \alpha + d \beta$, where $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are the periods of $E$. The classical way to state this is that everything can be expressed in terms of complete elliptic integrals of the first, second and third kind.

But I don't know why you aren't seeing those period terms, and I don't know how to make this explicit. So I'm going to stop here.

David E Speyer
  • 156.2k
  • 14
  • 419
  • 763