\(k\)-fold Sidon sets (Q463053)

Summary: Let \(k \geqslant 1\) be an integer. A set \(A \subset \mathbb{Z}\) is a \(k\)\textit{-fold Sidon set} if \(A\) has only trivial solutions to each equation of the form \(c_1 x_1 + c_2 x_2 + c_3 x_3 + c_4 x_4 = 0\) where \(0 \leqslant |c_i | \leqslant k\), and \(c_1 + c_2 + c_3 + c_4 = 0\). We prove that for any integer \(k \geqslant 1\), a \(k\)-fold Sidon set \(A \subset [N]\) has at most \((N/k)^{1/2} + O((Nk)^{1/4})\) elements. Indeed we prove that given any \(k\) positive integers \(c_1<\cdots <c_k\), any set \(A\subset [N]\) that contains only trivial solutions to \(c_i(x_1-x_2)=c_j(x_3-x_4)\) for each \(1 \leqslant i \leqslant j \leqslant k\), has at most \((N/k)^{1/2}+O((c_k^2N/k)^{1/4})\) elements. On the other hand, for any \(k \geqslant 2\) we can exhibit \(k\) positive integers \(c_1,\dots, c_k\) and a set \(A\subset [N]\) with \(|A|\geqslant (\frac{1}{k}+o(1))N^{1/2}\), such that \(A\) has only trivial solutions to \(c_i(x_1-x_2) = c_j (x_3-x_4)\) for each \(1 \leqslant i \leqslant j\leqslant k\).