Ternary cyclotomic polynomials having a large coefficient

Let $Φ_n(x)$ denote the $n$th cyclotomic polynomial. In 1968 Sister Marion Beiter conjectured that $a_n(k)$, the coefficient of $x^k$ in $Φ_n(x)$, satisfies $|a_n(k)|\le (p+1)/2$ in case $n=pqr$ with $p<q<r$ primes (in this case $Φ_n(x)$ is said to be ternary). Since then several results towards establishing her conjecture have been proved (for example $|a_n(k)|\le 3p/4$). Here we show that, nevertheless, Beiter's conjecture is false for every $p\ge 11$. We also prove that given any $ε>0$ there exist infinitely many triples $(p_j,q_j,r_j)$ with $p_1<p_2<...$ consecutive primes such that $|a_{p_jq_jr_j}(n_j)|>(2/3-ε)p_j$ for $j\ge 1$.

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