On the exponential Diophantine equation \((a^n-1)(b^n-1)=x^2\) (Q2197964)

Assume that \(a>1\) and \(b>1\) are different fixed integers. In the last 20 years, several authors (Cohn, Hajdu, Ishii, Lan, Luca, Szalay, Walsh, Xioyan, Yuan and Zhang) have considered the Diophantine equation \[ (a^n-1)(b^n-1)=x^2,\tag{1}\] where \(n\) and \(x\) are positive integers. First suppose that one of the following properties is satisfied: \(a\equiv 2 \pmod{3}\) and \(b\equiv 0 \pmod{3}\) or \(a\equiv 3 \pmod{4}\) and \(b\equiv 0 \pmod{2}\) or \(a\equiv 4 \pmod{5}\) and \(b\equiv 0 \pmod{5}\). \textit{P. Yuan} and \textit{Z. Zhang} [Publ. Math. 80, No. 3--4, 327--331 (2012; Zbl 1263.11045)] proved that equation (1) has no positive integer solutions \((n, x)\) with \(n>2\) under above conditions. In this paper, the authors show that the only possible solution of equation (1) is \(n=2\) under the same conditions which completes the result of Yuan and Zhang. Next suppose that \(a\) is even and \(b\) is a prime, \(b\equiv 3 \pmod{8}\). Then the authors prove that equation (1) has no solution in positive integers \((n, x)\). On the proofs, they use some results on divisibility properties of the solutions of a Pell equation and some results can be deduced from [\textit{M. A. Bennett} and \textit{C. M. Skinner}, Can. J. Math. 56, No. 1, 23--54 (2004; Zbl 1053.11025)] and [\textit{R. W. van der Waall}, Simon Stevin 46, 39--51 (1972; Zbl 0246.10011)].