On the divisibility of power LCM matrices by power GCD matrices

Abstract

Let S = {x ₁, ..., x _n } be a set of n distinct positive integers and e ⩾ 1 an integer. Denote the n × n power GCD (resp. power LCM) matrix on S having the e-th power of the greatest common divisor (x _i , x _j ) (resp. the e-th power of the least common multiple [x _i , x _j ]) as the (i, j)-entry of the matrix by ((x _i , x _j )^e) (resp. ([x _i , x _j ]^e)). We call the set S an odd gcd closed (resp. odd lcm closed) set if every element in S is an odd number and (x _i , x _j ) ∈ S (resp. [x _i , x _j ] ∈ S) for all 1 ⩽ i, j ⩽ n. In studying the divisibility of the power LCM and power GCD matrices, Hong conjectured in 2004 that for any integer e ⩾ 1, the n × n power GCD matrix ((x _i , x _j )^e) defined on an odd-gcd-closed (resp. odd-lcm-closed) set S divides the n × n power LCM matrix ([x _i , x _j ]^e) defined on S in the ring M _n (ℤ) of n × n matrices over integers. In this paper, we use Hong’s method developed in his previous papers [J. Algebra 218 (1999) 216–228; 281 (2004) 1–14, Acta Arith. 111 (2004), 165–177 and J. Number Theory 113 (2005), 1–9] to investigate Hong’s conjectures. We show that the conjectures of Hong are true for n ⩽ 3 but they are both not true for n ⩾ 4.