Almost squares in arithmetic progression. III (Q2486116)

In Part I [Compos. Math. 138, No. 1, 73--111 (2003; Zbl 1036.11007)] \textit{N. Saradha} and the second author showed that a product of four or more terms of positive integers in arithmetic progression with common difference a prime power is never a square. More general results were obtained that completely solve this equation when \(\gcd(n,d)=1\), \(k\geq 3\), and \(1<d\leq 104\). For \(i_ 0\) with \(0\leq i_0\leq k-1\), the equation \[ n(n+d)\cdots(n+(i_ 0-1)d)(n+(i_0+1)d)\cdots(n+(k-1)d)=by^2, \] with \(d>1\), \(w(d)=1\) and \(P(b)<k\), implies that \(k\leq 24\) where for a positive integer \(a\), \(P(a)\) and \(w(a)\) denote the greatest prime factor and the number of distinct prime factors of \(a\). Here it is proved that under the same assumptions it follows \(k\leq 8\). For Part II, see Acta Arith. 110, No. 1, 1--14 (2003; Zbl 1030.11010).