Degree \(k\) linear recursions mod \((p)\) and number fields (Q635282)

The paper under review presents several well-known facts about linear recurrences with integer terms and distinct characteristic roots, their periodicity and their periodicity modulo some prime number \(p\) from an algebraic point of view. The names of several mathematicians with contributions in the field of linear recurrences such as Everest, Lucas, Shparlinski and van der Poorten are misspelled. More seriously, the paper contains misleading statements regarding what is available in the literature about the problems treated in the paper. For example, the reader is asked to compare Theorem 2.1 which the authors claim to be new, with the Skolem-Mahler-Lech theorem. However, it is well-known that Theorem 2.1 is an immediate consequence of the Skolem-Mahler-Lech theorem (see the first sentence of Section 2.4 in [\textit{G. Everest, A. van der Poorten, I. Shparlinski} and \textit{T. Ward}, Recurrence sequences. Mathematical Surveys and Monographs 104. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (2003; Zbl 1033.11006)], which appears as [6] in the list of references of the paper under review). Furthermore, Theorem 3.1 in [6] is not the statement that appears as Theorem 2.2 in the present paper as the authors try to make us believe. Theorem 3.1 in [6] together with the two lines preceding it clearly states that in the particular case that these authors are considering, which is when the characteristic polynomial is square-free, the period divides \(p^k-1\) and the proof uses algebraic number theory and not ``the pigeon hole principle''. The sentence following Theorem 3.1 in [6] clearly says that the above bound is achieved. Thus, the statement immediately following Theorem 2.2 in the paper under review saying that ``We improve this bound to a best bound \(p^k-1\)'' seeming to indicate that something here is new, is in fact well-known. Readers interested in periodicity modulo \(p\) of linear recurrences would be much better off consulting Chapter 3 from [6] instead of the present work.