Lower bounds for the difference \(ax^n-by^m\) (Q5932680)

The authors give completely explicit lower bounds for \[ |ax^n-by^m|\quad (n\geq 2,m\geq 2,|y|\geq 2 \;\text{and} ax^n\neq by^m) \] depending on \(a\), \(b\), \(n\), \(m\) or \(a\), \(b\), \(n\), \(x\) only. These extend and improve earlier work (the special case \(a=b=1\)) by the first-named author [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 322, 1119-1121 (1996; Zbl 0859.11024)]. The improvement is due to a number of refinements, in particular, to bound the linear form in logarithms the authors use the Baker-Wüstholz estimate in [J. Reine Angew. Math. 422, 19-62 (1993; Zbl 0788.11026)] instead of that by \textit{M. Waldschmidt} [Can. J. Math. 45, 176-224 (1993; Zbl 0774.11036)].