On congruences with products of variables from short intervals and applications (Q2446173)

This paper provides upper bounds on the number of solutions \(K_\nu (p,h,s)\) to congruences of the type \[ (x_1+s)\dots(x_\nu+s)\equiv(y_1+s)\dots(y_\nu+s)\not\equiv 0\pmod p, \] \[ 1\leq x_1 , \dots , x_\nu , y_1 \dots , y_\nu \leq h , \] for a prime \(p\), integers \(h\) and \(\nu \geq1\) and an element \(s\in\mathbb {F}_p\), letting \(\mathbb F_p\) be the field of residues modulo \(p\). The authors remark that they study only \(\nu\geq 3\) because the case \(\nu =2\) has already been deepened in other works, e.g., by \textit{S. V. Konyagin} [Math. Notes 88, No. 4, 503--515 (2010); translation from Mat. Zametki 88, No. 4, 529--542 (2010; Zbl 1261.11085)]. Similarly to their estimates of \(K_\nu (p,h,s)\), the authors improve the bounds on: the number of solutions to exponential congruences by \textit{J. Cilleruelo} and \textit{M. Z. Garaev} [Geom. Funct. Anal. 21, No. 4, 892--904 (2011; Zbl 1225.11004)], the double character sums over subsets of intervals by \textit{J. Friedlander} and \textit{H. Iwaniec} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 119, No. 2, 365--372 (1993; Zbl 0782.11022)], the character sums with the divisor function by \textit{Mei-Chu Chang} [Contemp. Math. 518, 83--98 (2010; Zbl 1227.11121)] and by \textit{A. A. Karatsuba} [Sov. Math., Dokl. 12, 1172--1174 (1971); translation from Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 199, 770--772 (1971; Zbl 0227.10036)], [Izv. Math. 64, No.2, 249--263 (2000); translation from Izv. Ross. Akad. Nauk, Ser. Mat. 64, No. 2, 29--42 (2000; Zbl 0963.11046)]. Beyond basic tools like, e.g., the orthogonality of multiplicative characters, the Hölder inequality, the Cauchy inequality, the pigeonhole principle, the method of induction and other properties of algebraic numbers available in [\textit{W. Narkiewicz}, Elementary and analytic theory of algebraic numbers. 2nd ed., substantially revised and extended. Berlin etc.: Springer-Verlag; Warszawa: PWN-Polish Scientific Publishers. (1990; Zbl 0717.11045)], in the proof the authors employ: the multiplicative energy estimate for pairs of intervals, a bound on the divisor function in algebraic number fields from \textit{M.-C. Chang} [Geom. Funct. Anal. 13, No. 4, 720--736 (2003; Zbl 1029.11006)], a bound on \(K_\nu (p,h,s)\) from [\textit{J. Bourgain} et al., SIAM J. Comput. 41, No. 6, 1524--1557 (2012; Zbl 1311.11111)], the Mahler measure of a nonzero polynomial illustrated in \textit{Maurice Mignotte} [Mathematics for computer algebra. New York etc.: Springer-Verlag (1992; Zbl 0741.11002)], a result found by \textit{A. A. Karatsuba} [Russ. Math. Surv. 63, No. 4, 641--690 (2008); translation from Usp. Mat. Nauk 63, No. 4, 43-92 (2008; Zbl 1230.11099)] and another one supplied by \textit{U. Betke} et al. [Discrete Comput. Geom. 9, No. 2, 165--175 (1993; Zbl 0771.52007)] and by \textit{T. Tao} and \textit{V. H. Vu} [Additive combinatorics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2006; Zbl 1127.11002)]. The authors emphasize complementarities with the works of \textit{A. Ayyad} et al. [J. Number Theory 59, No. 2, 398--413 (1996; Zbl 0869.11003)], of \textit{T. Cochrane} and \textit{S. Shi} [J. Number Theory 130, No. 3, 767--785 (2010; Zbl 1217.11002)], of \textit{T. Cochrane} and \textit{Z. Zheng} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 126, No. 4, 951--956 (1998; Zbl 0893.11033)], of \textit{J.B. Friedlander} and \textit{H. Iwaniec} [Acta Arith. 45, 273--277 (1985; Zbl 0572.10033)]. In order to offer the reader a complete perspective on the topic, the authors recall also a vast literature including \textit{M. Z. Garaev} [Math. Z. 272, No. 1--2, 473--482 (2012; Zbl 1259.11075)], \textit{M. Z. Garaev} and \textit{V. C. Garcia} [J. Number Theory 128, No. 9, 2520--2537 (2008; Zbl 1225.11005)], \textit{P. Le Boudec} [Bull. Aust. Math. Soc. 85, No. 1, 154--163 (2012; Zbl 1292.11112)], \textit{T. H. Chan} and \textit{I. E. Shparlinski} [Acta Arith. 142, No. 1, 59--66 (2010; Zbl 1198.11002)], \textit{J. Bourgain} [Int. J. Number Theory 1, No. 1, 1--32 (2005; Zbl 1173.11310)] and \textit{I. E. Shparlinski} [Proc. Japan Acad., Ser. A 83, No. 2, 5--9 (2007; Zbl 1123.11026)], [Math. Z. 263, No. 3, 619--631 (2009; Zbl 1269.11068)].