TITLE: Can a harmonic number be a rational number for non-integer rational argument?
QUESTION [13 upvotes]: Define harmonic numbers for a complex argument $z$ as $H_z=\frac{\Gamma'(z+1)}{\Gamma(z+1)}-\Gamma'(1)$.
For $n\in\mathbb{N}$, $H_n$ are usual harmonic numbers $\sum^n_{k=1} k^{-1}$ . They are obviously rational and are known (Taeisinger 1915) to be non-integers for $n>1$.
Question: Is there a non-integer rational $q$ such that $H_q\in\mathbb{Q}$?

REPLY [11 votes]: The answer is "no". Your function $H_z$ which is the same as $\psi(z+1)+\gamma$, where $\psi$ is the digamma function, and $\gamma$ is the Euler-Mascheroni constant, takes transcendental values at non-integer rationals. This is a theorem of M. Ram Murty and N. Saradha, "Transcendental values of the digamma function".
Notice that at rational values the digamma function has an explicit evaluation given by Gauss's formula.