The arithmetic of dynamical sequences

Seminar: 
Number Theory
Event time: 
Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - 12:30pm to Monday, October 14, 2013 - 8:00pm
Location: 
205 LOM
Speaker: 
Holly Krieger
Speaker affiliation: 
MIT
Event description: 

Understanding the arithmetic of sequences that are dynamically defined, such as the Fibonacci and Mersenne numbers, is of classical interest but generally results are difficult; for example, the infinitude of primes in either of these sequences is still open. However, results on the existence of primitive prime divisors and perfect powers in these sequences have been achieved, including the notable theorem of Bugeaud, Mignotte, and Siksek listing the Fibonacci powers. These questions and methods generalize to sequences which are forward orbits under iteration of certain dynamical systems, and I will discuss results on the arithmetic of such sequences, which rely on techniques from Diophantine approximation, arithmetic dynamics, and complex dynamics.