Prime powers in elliptic divisibility sequences (Q5315436)

Let \(E\) be an elliptic curve defined over \(\mathbb{Q}\) which is given by a Weierstrass equation \[ y^2+a_1xy+a_3y=x^3+a_2x^2+ a_4x+ a_6,\tag{1} \] with \(a_1, \dots,a_6\in\mathbb{Z}\). Let \(Q\in E(\mathbb{Q})\) be a non-torsion point. For any integer \(n\geq 1\), let \(x(nQ)\) be the \(x\)-coordinate of \(nQ\). There exists coprime integers \(A_n\) and \(B_n\) such that \[ x(nQ)=\frac{A_n}{B^2_n}.\tag{2} \] This paper is devoted to the study of a such sequence \((B_n)_{m\geq 1}\). It is a divisibility sequence, which means that \(B_m\) divides \(B_n\) whenever \(m\) divides \(n\). The authors prove that, if a certain condition is satisfied by the point \(Q\), there exists only finitely many terms \(B_n\) which are prime powers. In some cases, they also show that only finitely many terms \(B_n\) are divisible by a bounded number of distinct primes. Let us mention the following result obtained by the authors. Let \(E\) be an elliptic curve over \(\mathbb{Q}\) given by an equation of the shape (1), \(K\) be a number field and \(Q\in E(K)\) be a non-torsion point. The point \(Q\) is said to be magnified if the following condition is realised: there exists a finite extension \(L/K\); an elliptic curve \(F\) defined over \(L\), an isogeny \(\sigma:F\to E\) over \(L\) of degree \(>[L:K]\) (the degree of \(L/K)\), and a point \(R\in F(L)\) such that \(\sigma(R)=Q\). Furthermore, \(Q\) is said to be Galois magnified if \(L\) can be taken to be the Galois closure of \(K(R)/K\) (for instance, this is the case if \(L=K)\). Let \(S_K(Q)\) be the set of the non-archimedean valuations \(v\) of \(K\) such that \(|x(Q)|_v>1\). Theorem: Suppose that the point \(Q\) is Galois magnified. Then, there are only finitely many \(n\geq 1\) for which \(S_K(nQ)\) consists of a single valuation. In particular, if \(Q\) is Galois magnified and belongs to \(E(\mathbb{Q})\), then the sequence \((B_n)_{n\geq 1}\) defined by (2) is such that there are only finitely many terms \(B_n\) which are prime powers.