Theoretical analysis proves nonvanishing and exact signs for product-binomial Dold coefficients on rational exterior spaces, resolving the 2021 conjecture and identifying sharp parameter bounds.
Let X be a rational exterior space and let f: X → X. Let A = Q(f*) be the graded action on the indecomposable quotient of the positive-degree rational cohomology of X. Suppose that χ_A(t) = t^s ∏_j (tn_j − a_j)k_j, with a nonempty product and every a_j ≥ 3. Powering the binomial roots yields a closed formula for each Lefschetz number L(f^q), and every unnormalized Dold coefficient is nonzero, with exact sign determined by ∑_j k_j gcd(n_j,m). In the single-factor toral case this proves the stated all-dimensional Dold-nonvanishing conjecture of 2021 and gives the parity correction to a later all-negative formulation. The parameter threshold is sharp: for t^n − 2, the coefficient at order m vanishes exactly when m ≥ 3 and m divides n. For affine toral maps with these characteristic polynomials, the unsigned Möbius transform counts least-period points and determines the complete period set; for arbitrary maps in the same toral homotopy class, the signed Dold coefficient remains a homological invariant. This deposit contains the final preprint, LaTeX source, a self-contained exact-integer reproducibility archive, and SHA-256 checksums.
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Weiqi Jiang (2026) studied this question.