Some extensions of the modular method and Fermat equations of signature \((13,13,n)\) (Q6109911)

The main result of this paper is to obtain a complete resolution of a generalized Fermat equation. Theorem: For all integers \(n\geq 2\), there are no integer solutions \((a,b,c)\) to the equation \(x^{13}+y^{13}=3z^n\) such that \(abc\neq 0\) and \(\gcd(a,b,c)=1\). The result is established by the modular method. The modular method may be powerful enough to establish a complete resolution of a family of generalized Fermat equations, e.g., a family of the Fermat equations of the form \(x^{2\ell}+y^{2m}=z^{13}\) for \(\ell, m\geq 5\). The paper presents four elimination techniques which are based on: (1) establishing reducibility of certain residual Galois representations over totally real fields; (2) generalizing image if inertia arguments to the setting of abelian surfaces; (3) establishing congruences of Hilbert modular forms without the use of often impractical Sturm bounds, and (4) a unit sieve argument which combines information from classical descent and the modular method.