On a conjecture of Schäffer concerning the equation \(1^k + \ldots + x^k = y^n\) (Q2347036)

Let \(x\) and \(k\) be positive integers. Write \[ S_{k}(x)= 1^k + 2^k + \ldots +x^k \] for the sum of the \(k\)-th powers of the first \(x\) positive integers. The Diophantine equation \[ S_{k}(x)= y^{n} \tag{1} \] in unknown positive integers \(k,n,x,y\) with \(n\geq 2\) has a rich history. In 1956, \textit{J. J. Schäffer} [Acta Math. 95, 155--189 (1956; Zbl 0071.03702)] conjectured that the equation (1) has, for \(k, n \geq 2\), only the solutions \((x,y)=(1,1)\) and, in case \(k=n=2\), \((x,y)=(24,70)\). So, this conjecture is known as Schäffer's conjecture. In the literature, there are many works to verify this conjecture. (See [\textit{M. J. Jacobson jun.} et al., Math. Comput. 72, No. 244, 2099--2110 (2003; Zbl 1113.11075)], [\textit{M. A. Bennett} et al., Compos. Math. 140, No. 6, 1417--1431 (2004; Zbl 1066.11013)], [\textit{Á. Pintér}, J. Number Theory 125, No. 2, 412--423 (2007; Zbl 1127.11022)].) In this work, the author recorded nice results verifying this conjecture. He first provided upper bounds for \(n\) which depend on assertions describing the precise exponents of 2 and 3 appearing in the prime factorization of \(S_{k}(x)\) and on the explicit solution of polynomial exponential congruences. Secondly, using upper bounds formulae for \(n\), he proved that this conjecture is true if \(x\equiv 0, 3 \pmod{4}\) and \(x < 25\). In this paper, there was a small gap in the proof of Lemma 3.2. But, the author gives a correction (see [J. Number Theory 164, 429--432 (2016; Zbl 1377.11040)]) and full proof of this lemma.