On a family of Thue equations over function fields (Q2494349): Difference between revisions

It is well-known that a Thue equation over a ring \(R\) has a finite number of solutions, where \(R\) is an order of a number field or \({\mathbb{Z}}[T]\) when \(T\) is transcendental. [see \textit{K. Győry}, Acta Math. Hung. 42, 45--80 (1983; Zbl 0528.10014) and \textit{Y. Bilu} and \textit{G. Hanrot}, J. Number Theory 60, 373--392 (1996; Zbl 0867.11017)]. If \(K\) is a function field of characteristic \(0\), \(S\) a finite set of places of~\(K\), and \(R\) the ring of S-integers, then \textit{R. C. Mason} determined effective bounds for the height of the solutions of a Thue equation over \(R\) and therefore a way to effectively compute all the solutions [see J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 24, 414--426 (1981; Zbl 0453.10017) and Diophantine equations over function fields, Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 96, Cambridge (1984; Zbl 0533.10012)]. In this paper, the authors solve, for the first time, a family of Thue equations over a function field. In fact, they used Mason's approach, similar to Baker's method of linear form in logarithms, to determine all the solutions of the following family of cubic Thue equations over \({\mathbb{C}}(T)\) \[ X(X-Y)(X-(T+\xi)Y)+Y^3=1+\xi T(1-T), \] for all \(\xi \in{\mathbb{C}}\). The solution set is \(L_{\xi}=\{\zeta (T, 1):\; \zeta^3=1\}\) except for \(\xi \neq -1,\, 0,\, 1\) where there are more solutions. First, they prove that if \((x, y)\) is a solution to the above equation then \(\max(\deg x, \deg y ) \leq 17\) if \(\xi \neq 0\) and \(\max(\deg x, \deg y ) \leq 9\) if \(\xi = 0\). Then they use Mason's approach to reduce these bounds to \(2\). Therefore, they are able to determine all solutions.