English

Squarefree values of polynomials over the rational function field

Number Theory 2013-07-16 v4

Abstract

We study representation of square-free polynomials in the polynomial ring F[t] over a finite field F by polynomials in F[t][x]. This is a function field version of the well-studied problem of representing squarefree integers by integer polynomials, where it is conjectured that a separable polynomial f(x) with integer coefficients takes infinitely many squarefree values, barring some simple exceptional cases, in fact that the integers n for which f(n) is squarefree have a positive density. We show that if f(x) in F[t][x] is separable, with square-free content, of bounded degree and height, then as the finite field size #F tends to infinity, for almost all monic polynomials a(t), the polynomial f(a) is squarefree.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1211.6733,
  title  = {Squarefree values of polynomials over the rational function field},
  author = {Zeev Rudnick},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1211.6733},
  year   = {2013}
}

Comments

v4: Added several references

R2 v1 2026-06-21T22:45:44.638Z