The complexity of power series in positive characteristic
Prof. Joe Kramer-Miller, Lehigh University
Abstract: An amazing theorem of Christol from the 1980s states that a power series over a finite field is algebraic if and only if its coefficient sequence is p-automatic. Informally, this means that the coefficients of an algebraic series can be computed by a "finite machine". This theorem has since become a cornerstone in the study of transcendence in positive characteristic. In this talk we prove analogues of Christol's theorem for series that are solutions to iterative differential equations with moderate singularities.
Tea and refreshments available from 3:00-3:25 p.m. in the Assmus Conference Room (CU 212).
