English

Congruences involving generalized central trinomial coefficients

Number Theory 2014-06-18 v9 Combinatorics

Abstract

For integers bb and cc the generalized central trinomial coefficient Tn(b,c)T_n(b,c) denotes the coefficient of xnx^n in the expansion of (x2+bx+c)n(x^2+bx+c)^n. Those Tn=Tn(1,1) (n=0,1,2,)T_n=T_n(1,1)\ (n=0,1,2,\ldots) are the usual central trinomial coefficients, and Tn(3,2)T_n(3,2) coincides with the Delannoy number Dn=k=0n(nk)(n+kk)D_n=\sum_{k=0}^n\binom nk\binom{n+k}k in combinatorics. We investigate congruences involving generalized central trinomial coefficients systematically. Here are some typical results: For each n=1,2,3,n=1,2,3,\ldots we have k=0n1(2k+1)Tk(b,c)2(b24c)n1k0(modn2)\sum_{k=0}^{n-1}(2k+1)T_k(b,c)^2(b^2-4c)^{n-1-k}\equiv0\pmod{n^2} and in particular n2k=0n1(2k+1)Dk2n^2\mid\sum_{k=0}^{n-1}(2k+1)D_k^2; if pp is an odd prime then k=0p1Tk2(1p) (modp)   and   k=0p1Dk2(2p) (modp),\sum_{k=0}^{p-1}T_k^2\equiv\left(\frac{-1}p\right)\ \pmod{p}\ \ \ {\rm and}\ \ \ \sum_{k=0}^{p-1}D_k^2\equiv\left(\frac 2p\right)\ \pmod{p}, where ()(-) denotes the Legendre symbol. We also raise several conjectures some of which involve parameters in the representations of primes by certain binary quadratic forms.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1008.3887,
  title  = {Congruences involving generalized central trinomial coefficients},
  author = {Zhi-Wei Sun},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1008.3887},
  year   = {2014}
}

Comments

34 pages

R2 v1 2026-06-21T16:04:09.517Z