On a variant of Pillai problem: integers as difference between generalized Pell numbers and perfect powers

Fibonacci and Lucas numbers and polynomials and generalizations (11B39) Counting solutions of Diophantine equations (11D45) Exponential Diophantine equations (11D61) Linear forms in logarithms; Baker's method (11J86)

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For a fixed integer \( k\ge 2 \), the sequence of \textit{\( k \)-generalized Pell numbers}, \( \{P_n^{(k)}\}_{n\ge -(2-k)} \), is defined by the linear recurrence: \begin{align*} P_{n}^{(k)}=2P_{n-1}^{(k)}+ \cdots+ P_{n-k}^{(k)} \quad \text{for all} \quad n\ge2, \end{align*} with the initial conditions: \( P_{i}^{(k)}=0 \), for \( i=2-k, \ldots, 0 \), and \( P_{1}^{(k)}=1 \). When \( k=2 \), this sequence coincides with the classical \textit{Pell sequence}. In the paper under review, the authors investigate about integers that have at least two representations as a difference between a \( k \)-generalized Pell number and a perfect power. That is, they study the Diophantine equation: \[P_n^{(k)}-b^m=P_{n_1}^{(k)}-b^{m_1}~(=c),\tag{1}\] in nonnegative integers \( n,n_1,m,m_1 \) and \( k\ge 2 \) for a fixed positive integer \( b\ge 2\). Their research is inspired by the results of the reviewer et al. in [Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., Math. Sci. 127, No. 3, 411--421 (2017; Zbl 1421.11017)] and \textit{H. Erazo} et al. in [J. Number Theory 203, 294--309 (2019; Zbl 1465.11086)]. The main result of the authors in this paper is the following. Theorem 1. Let \( b\ge 2 \)be a fixed integer. The solutions \( n>n_1\ge 0 \) and \( m>m_1\ge 0 \), for Eq. (1) satisfy that \begin{align*} (n-3)\log_b\gamma(k) < m\le (n-1) \log_b\gamma(k)+1, \end{align*} where \( \gamma(k) \) is the dominant root of the characteristic polynomial of the \( k \)-generalized Pell sequence. Furthermore, if \( n\ge k+2 \) then \begin{align*} k< 2\cdot 10^{54}(\log b)^{9} \quad \text{and} \quad m<2n<1.33\cdot10^{714}(\log b)^{121}. \end{align*} As a consequence to Theorem 1, the authors also prove a numerical result for \( b\in [2,10] \). This involves a formulation of a reduction procedure. To prove their results, the authors use a clever combination of techniques in number theory, the usual properties of the \( k \)-generalized Pell sequence, the theory of nonzero linear forms in logarithms of algebraic numbers, as well as reduction techniques involving the theory of continued fractions. All computations are done with the aid of a computer program in \texttt{Mathematica}.

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