On the criteria for linear independence of Nesterenko, Fischler and Zudilin

Abstract

In 1985, Yu. V. Nesterenko produced a criterion for linear independence, which is a variant of Siegel's. While Siegel uses upper bounds on full systems of forms, Nesterenko uses upper and lower bounds on sufficiently dense sequences of individual forms. The proof of Nesterenko's criterion was simplified by F. Amoroso and P. Colmez in 2003. More recently, S. Fischler and W. Zudilin produced a refinement, together with a much simpler proof. This new proof rests on a simple argument which we expand here. We get a new result, which contains Nesterenko's criterion, as well as criteria for algebraic independence.