On the Erdős primitive set conjecture in function fields

Abstract

Erdős proved that $\mathcal{F}(A) := \sum_{a \in A}\frac{1}{a\log a}$ converges for any primitive set of integers $A$ and later conjectured this sum is maximized when $A$ is the set of primes. Banks and Martin further conjectured that $\mathcal{F}(\mathcal{P}_1) > \ldots > \mathcal{F}(\mathcal{P}_k) > \mathcal{F}(\mathcal{P}_{k+1}) > \ldots$, where $\mathcal{P}_j$ is the set of integers with $j$ prime factors counting multiplicity, though this was recently disproven by Lichtman. We consider the corresponding problems over the function field $\mathbb{F}_q[x]$, investigating the sum $\mathcal{F}(A) := \sum_{f \in A} \frac{1}{\text{deg} f \cdot q^{\text{deg} f}}$. We establish a uniform bound for $\mathcal{F}(A)$ over all primitive sets of polynomials $A \subset \mathbb{F}_q[x]$ and conjecture that it is maximized by the set of monic irreducible polynomials. We find that the analogue of the Banks-Martin conjecture is false for $q = 2, 3$, and $4$, but we find computational evidence that it holds for $q > 4$.