Spectral Analysis of Odd Perfect Numbers: the Master Equation, Higher-order Derivatives, and Massive Cancellation
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper develops a unified spectral approach for analyzing Odd Perfect Numbers (OPNs) utilizing the Ramanujan-Fourier expansion of the abundancy index $I(N)=\sigma(N)/N$. At the zeroth-order level, the perfection condition produces a Master Equation and a Spectral Divisibility Requirement. Comparison against the Möbius baseline demonstrates that the known lower bounds on the number of distinct prime factors of an OPN force the composite spectral contribution to be significantly negative. Furthermore, differentiating the spectral generating function $G(N,s)$ yields an infinite system of Higher-Order Master Equations. Singularity analysis at $s=-2$ establishes that the spectral derivatives grow at a rate of $O(k!4^{-k})$, whereas the uncancelled scale grows as $O(k!)$. This exponential gap proves that every integer must exhibit massive cancellation in its spectral coefficients. This framework provides a method to test the specific arithmetic constraints of a hypothetical OPN against this analytically imposed spectral balance.
Author: Fathi, Kevin
Language: English
Subfield: Algebra and Number Theory
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7141266683
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