On the Landen formula for multiple polylogarithms and its $\ell$-adic Galois analogue

TL;DR

This paper proves the Landen formula for complex and $ ext{ell}$-adic Galois multiple polylogarithms using algebraic, geometric, and Galois cohomology methods, revealing new lower weight terms in the $ ext{ell}$-adic case.

Contribution

It provides the first algebraic and geometric proof of the Landen formula for $ ext{ell}$-adic Galois multiple polylogarithms, extending the classical complex case.

Findings

Landen formula for complex multiple polylogarithms proved.

Landen formula for $ ext{ell}$-adic Galois multiple polylogarithms established.

Explicit description of lower weight terms via Goldberg polynomials.

Abstract

In the present paper, we provide an algebraic and geometric proof of the Landen formula for complex multiple polylogarithms originally established by Okuda and Ueno. Our approach employs a chain rule of complex KZ solutions arising from the symmetry $z \mapsto \frac{z}{z-1}$ of $\mathbb{P}^1 \backslash \{0,1,\infty\}$. Furthermore, by replacing complex KZ solutions with $\ell$-adic Galois 1-cocycles in this proof, we obtain the Landen formula for $\ell$-adic Galois multiple polylogarithms. This formula involves lower weight terms specific to the $\ell$-adic Galois setting, which originate from the higher-order terms of the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff sum ${\rm log}({\rm exp}(-e_1){\rm exp}(-e_0))$. These lower weight terms are explicitly described by an integral involving Goldberg polynomials.