Solving \(a x^p + b y^p = c z^p\) with \(abc\) containing an arbitrary number of prime factors (Q2223085): Difference between revisions

Let \(p\) be a rational prime. Let \(a, b, c\) be non-zero integers and let \(F_p^{a,b,c}\) denotes the projective curve given by \(ax^p + by^p + cz^p = 0\). The asymptotic Fermat conjecture (with coefficients \(a,b,c\)) predicts that the set \(AF_{a,b,c} := \bigcup_{p\geq 5} F_p^{a,b,c}(\mathbb Q)\) is finite. The case \(a=b=c=1\) is the celebrated result of Andrew Wiles (Fermat's Last Theorem): \(AF_{1,1,1} = \{[1:0:-1],[1:-1:0],[0:1:-1]\}\). Other special results are known for \((a,b,c) = (1,1,q^n)\) or \((1,2^m,q^n)\) for odd primes \(q\) satisfying certain conditions (due to the work of Serre, Mazur. Frey, Ribet, Darmon and Merel). \textit{A. Kraus} [Can. J. Math. 49, No. 6, 1139--1161 (1997; Zbl 0908.11017)] has given effective bounds related to the asymptotic Fermat conjecture (AFC) and proved further results towards this conjecture when \(\text{rad}(abc) = 2q\) for an odd prime \(q\) which is neither a Mersenne nor a Fermat prime. Let \(a, b, c\) be non-zero integers satisfying \(\gcd(a,b,c) = 1\). The authors prove the following results. \textbf{Theorem 2.} Assume that \(\text{rad}(abc)\) is a product of primes all in \(1 + 12\mathbb Z\), then \(AF_{a,b,2^rc}\) is finite for every \(r\geq 0\), \(r\not= 1\). \textbf{Theorem 3.} Assume that \(\text{rad}(abc)\) is a product of primes all in \(1 + 3\mathbb Z\) then \(AF_{a,b,16c}\) is finite. \textbf{Theorem 4.} Let \(q,l \geq 5\) be primes such that \(q \equiv -l \equiv 5 \mod 24\). If \(\text{rad}(abc) = ql\) then \(AF_{a,b,c}\) is finite. Proofs ot these results are done by solving some \(S\)-unit equations and applying the Frey-Kraus-Mazur method (based on Frey's paper [\textit{G. Frey}, J. Indian Math. Soc., New Ser. 51, 117--145 (1987; Zbl 0682.14021)] and on Kraus' paper [loc. cit.]).