A supercongruence motivated by the Legendre family of elliptic curves (Q650321)

The so-called supercongruences are usually proved through methods like the WZ algorithm, \(e.g.\), by \textit{W. Zudilin} [J. Number Theory 129, No. 8, 1848--1857 (2009; Zbl 1231.11147)], or the Gaussian hypergeometric series, \(e.g.\), by \textit{S. Ahlgren} and \textit{K. Ono} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 518, 187--212 (2000; Zbl 0940.33002)] and by \textit{R. Osburn} and \textit{C. Schneider} [Math. Comput. 78, No. 265, 275--292 (2009; Zbl 1209.11049)], or the hypergeometric series evaluation identities, \(e.g.\), by \textit{D. McCarthy} and \textit{R. Osburn} [Arch. Math. 91, No. 6, 492--504 (2008; Zbl 1175.33004)]. Not so in this paper, where the following supercongruence for primes \(p>2\): \[ {\sum_{k=0}^{(p-1)/2}}\;2^{-3k}{\binom{2k}k}^2 \equiv\;(-1)^{(p-1)/2} {\sum_{k=0}^{(p-1)/2}}\;2^k {\binom{(p-1)/2}k}^2 \pmod{p^2}, \] is established using only elementary binomial identities and the Legendre transforms of certain sequences. The basis for such original proof is the following result: \[ {\sum_{k=0}^{(p-1)/2}}\;2^{-3k}{\binom{2k}k}^2 \equiv\;(-1)^{(p-1)/2} {\sum_{k=0}^{(p-1)/2}}\;2^k {\binom{(p-1)/2}k}^2 \pmod{p}, \] obtained by combining previous works from \textit{J. H. Silverman} [The arithmetic of elliptic curves. New York etc.: Springer-Verlag (1986; Zbl 0585.14026)] and from \textit{C. H. Clemens} [A scrapbook of complex curve theory. New York etc.: Plenum Press (1980; Zbl 0456.14016)]. The authors are also able to prove in an elegant way the following supercongruence: \[ {\sum_{k=0}^{(p-1)/2}}\;2^{-4k}{\binom{2k}k}^2 \equiv\;(-1)^{(p-1)/2} \pmod{p^2}, \] due to \textit{E. Mortenson} [J. Number Theory 99, No. 1, 139--147 (2003; Zbl 1074.11045)] and they suggest the possibility to find similar elementary proofs for other supercongruences still provided by \textit{E. Mortenson} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 355, No. 3, 987--1007 (2003; Zbl 1074.11044)].