Let f(x) be an integer-valued polynomial with no fixed integer divisor [ges ] 2, that is, for no integer d [ges ] 2 does d[mid ]f(x) for all integers x. One generalization of the famous Waring problem is to determine whether, for large enough s, the equation

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is solvable in positive integers x1, …, xs for sufficiently large integers n. The existence of such s for every f was established by Kamke [5] in 1921. Subsequent authors (Pillai, Hua [2–4], Vinogradov, Načaev [7], and others) have studied the problem of bounding G(f), the least s for which (1.1) is solvable for all large n.

Questions of local solubility of (1.1), that is, solubility of the congruence

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play a more important and complicated role in this problem than in the classical Waring problem. Let Γ0(f) denote the least number s so that (1.2) is solvable for every pair n, q. It is well known that Γ0(xk) [les ] 4k for every k, but Hua [4] found that for every k, the polynomial

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satisfies Γ0(fk) [ges ] 2k − 1 (take s = 2k−2, q = 2k and n = (−1)k in (1.2)). Clearly G(f) [ges ] Γ0(f), but one can say more by restricting the values of n under consideration, as has been done by several authors in the case f(x) = x4 (for example [1, 6]).

The singular series

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where e(z) = e2πiz, encapsulates the local solubility information. In particular, [Sfr ]s, f(n) [ges ] 0 for every n and [Sfr ]s, f(n) > 0 if and only if (1.2) is soluble for every q. Define G(f) to be the least number s so that for every δ >0 and every n>n0(δ) with [Sfr ]s, f(n) [ges ] δ, (1.1) is soluble. The reason for taking [Sfr ]s, f(n) [ges ] δ instead of [Sfr ]s, f(n) > 0 is that we wish to exclude from consideration certain n lying in sparse sequences for which (1.1) is insoluble but [Sfr ]s, f(n) > 0. For example, taking f(x) = x4, s = 15 and nj = 79·16j (j = 0, 1, …), it can be shown that (1.1) is not soluble for n = nj, that [Sfr ]s, f(nj) > 0 for all j, and that [Sfr ]s, f(nj) → 0 as j → ∞. It is known that G(x4) = 16 (see [1]) and that G(x4) [ges ] 11 almost holds (see [6]).