Fermat-type equations of signature \((13,13,p)\) via Hilbert cuspforms (Q378831)

In this paper, the authors solve generalized Fermat equations of the shape \(x^{13}+y^{13}= C z^p\) for certain families of fixed integers \(C\) and suitably large exponents \(p\). Their approach is based upon factoring the term \(x^{13}+y^{13}\), so that solutions to the original equation lead to ternary equations of the shape \(A x^p+By^p=D z^p\), defined over a totally real number field (in this case \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{13})\)). They then show that the corresponding Frey-Hellegouarch curves are ``modular'' and that the machinery related to Ribet's level-lowering results may be employed. Finally, they turn to explicitly computed tables of Hilbert modular forms to derive contradictions for some given small values of \(C\). By way of example, they show that the equation \(x^{26}+y^{26} = 10 \gamma z^p\) has no coprime nonzero integer solutions, whenever \(\gamma\) is free of prime divisors \(\ell \equiv 1 \pmod{13}\) and \(p > 4992539\) is prime.