Shifted products that are coprime pure powers (Q2484505)

Let \(A\) be a set of positive integers such that \(ab+1\) is a perfect power for all distinct elements \(a,~b\) of \(A\). In this paper, the authors show that if \(A\subset \{1,\ldots,N\}\) and if additionally the elements \(ab+1\) are coprime any two as \(a<b\) range through elements of \(A\), then the cardinality of \(A\) is bounded above by \(8000 \log N/\log\log N\). Under the \(abc\) conjecture, the authors are able to drop the coprimality conditions and show that the cardinality of \(A\) is \(O(\log\log N)\). The proofs use an interesting combination of results from extremal graph theory and elementary estimates from the prime number theory. The results of this paper have already been improved since this paper appeared. C. L. Stewart removed the coprimality assumption and proved that the cardinality of \(A\) is \[ O((\log N)^{2/3}(\log\log N)^{1/3}). \] His approach used, aside from extremal graph theory and elementary estimates involving prime numbers, also results from transcendental number theory such as lower bounds for linear forms in logarithms of algebraic numbers. Under the \(abc\) conjecture, the reviewer [see \textit{F. Luca}, Glas. Mat., III. Ser. 40, No. 1, 13--20 (2005; Zbl 1123.11011)] showed that such sets \(A\) have uniformly bounded cardinalities.