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paul Monsky
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More questions involving characteristic 2 theta series identities

In my answer to my earlier question, "Existence of certain identities involving characteristic 2 thetas", I established some curious identities when the thetas have prime "level" congruent to 1 mod 4 or to 3 mod 8. This question concerns the case when the level is 7 mod 8.

I reprise notation from earlier questions. l is an odd prime and [j] is the sum of the x^(n^2), where n runs over the integers congruent to j mod l; we view the "theta series" [j] as elements of Z/2[[x]]. F is the power series x+x^9+x^25+x^49+x^81..., G=F(x^l) and H=G(x^l). My identities involve G,H and the various [j].

There is evidently a unique C in Z/2[[x]], having constant term 0, with C^2+C=G+H. I showed that when l is 1 mod 4 or 3 mod 8 (or when l=7), then C can be written explicitly as a polynomial in the [j]. Here is what the computer suggests when l=7 mod 8 and is < 50. First some notation. If (r,s,t) is a triple of integers, we define C(r,s,t) to be the sum of the power series [rj][sj][tj] where j runs from 1 to (l-1)/2. Define C(r,s,t,u) similarly. (When l is 3 mod 8, I showed that C is C(1,1,t) where t^2 is congruent to -2 mod l).

(1) When l=7, I can show that C=C(1,1,1,2)+C(1,2,3)

(2) When l=23 I think that C=C(3,3,1,2)+C(1,3,6)

(3) When l=31 I think that C=C(3,3,2,3)+C(2,5,8)

(4) When l=47 I think that C=C(3,3,2,5)+C(2,3,9)

(Note that the sum of the squares of 3,3,2 and 5 is 47, etc.)

QUESTION 1: Can one establish the truth of (2),(3) and (4)? Kevin Buzzard explained to me that it's enough to show that the power series expansions agree up to a certain exponent, but I'm not sure what that exponent is, and I doubt that I have the computer power.

QUESTION 2: Are there identities like those above for l>50? And if so, what are these identities explicitly?

paul Monsky
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