Topological properties and algebraic independence of sets of prime-representing constants

TL;DR

This paper studies the topological and algebraic properties of sets of real numbers related to prime-generating exponential sequences, revealing complex structures like Cantor sets and algebraic independence.

Contribution

It characterizes the topological structure of prime-representing sets and constructs algebraically independent subsets, advancing understanding of their mathematical complexity.

Findings

The set W(c_k) is homeomorphic to the Cantor middle third set under certain conditions.

An algebraically independent subset of W(c_k) is constructed when c_k increases rapidly.

The minimum of W(k) is proved to be transcendental.

Abstract

Let $(c_k)_{k\in \mathbb{N}}$ be a sequence of positive integers. We investigate the set of $A>1$ such that the integer part of $A^{c_1\cdots c_k}$ is always a prime number for every positive integer $k$. Let $\mathcal{W}(c_k)$ be this set. The first goal of this article is to determine the topological structure of $\mathcal{W}(c_k)$. Under some conditions on $(c_k)_{k\in \mathbb{N}}$, we reveal that $\mathcal{W}(c_k)\cap [0,a]$ is homeomorphic to the Cantor middle third set for some $a$. The second goal is to propose an algebraically independent subset of $\mathcal{W}(c_k)$ if $c_k$ is rapidly increasing. As a corollary, we disclose that the minimum of $\mathcal{W}(k)$ is transcendental. In addition, we apply the main result to the set of $A>1$ such that the integer part of $A^{3^{k!}}$ is always a prime number. As a consequence, we give a certain infinite subset of this set which is algebraically independent. Furthermore, we also get results on the rational approximation, $\mathbb{Q}$-linear independence, and numerical calculations of elements in $\mathcal{W}(c_k)$.