A single set improvement to the \(3k - 4\) theorem (Q2187135)

It is well known that, for any finite set \(A\) of integers with \(|A+A|\le 3|A|-4\), Freiman's theorem implies that \(A\) is contained in an arithmetic progression of length \(\le|A+A|- |A|+1\). Apart from an additional conclusion concerning a long arithmetic progression in the sumset, the extended \(3k-4\) theorem asserts that, for finite, nonempty sets \(A\) and \(B\) of integers with \(|A+B|\le |A|+|B|+ \min\{|A|, |B|\}-3-\delta\), where \(\delta=1\) if \(A\) and \(B\) are translates of each other and \(\delta=0\) otherwise, there are arithmetic progressions \(P_A\) and \(P_B\) of integers with common difference such that \(A\subseteq P_A\), \(B\subseteq P_B\), \(|P_A|\le |A+B|-|B|+1\) and \(|P_B|\le |A+B|-|A|+1\). In the paper under review the author shows that the hypothesis on \(|A+B|\) can be significantly weakened and still yield the same conclusion for one of the finite sets \(A\) and \(B\) of integers. Specifically, if \(|A|\ge 1\), \(|B|\ge 3\) and \(|A+B|< \left(\frac{|A|}{s}+ \frac{|B|}{2}- 1\right)(s+1)\), where \(s\ge 1\) is the unique integer with \[(s-1)s\Biggl(\frac{|B|}{2}-1\Biggr)+ s-1<|A|\le s(s+1)\Biggl(\frac{|B|}{2}-1\Biggr)+s,\] then there is an arithmetic progression \(P_B\) and \(B\subseteq P_B\) and \(|P_B|\le |A+B|- |A|+1\).