A simple proof of the Markoff conjecture for prime powers

DOI10.1007/S10711-007-9189-XMaRDI QIDQ2467184zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Mong Lung Lang, Ser Peow Tan

Publication date 21 January 2008

Published in Geometriae Dedicata (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0508443

zbMATH Keywords

Markoff numbersmodular torussimple closed geodesics

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Cubic and quartic Diophantine equations (11D25) Markov and Lagrange spectra and generalizations (11J06) Continued fractions and generalizations (11J70)

Abstract: We give a simple and independent proof of the result of Jack Button and Paul Schmutz that the Markoff conjecture on the uniqueness of the Markoff triples (a,b,c), where a, b, and c are in increasing order, holds whenever $c$ is a prime power.

Review text

The authors give a markedly geometric proof of the known arithmetic result that the Markoff equation \(x^2+ y^2+z^2 = 3 x y z\) has at most one solution in positive integers \((x,y,z)\) with \(x\leq y \leq z\) for any given prime power \(z\). The geometry of the proof comes from H. Cohn's 1955 observation that the tree of solutions to the above Markoff equation corresponds one-to-one to the simple closed geodesics of the once-punctured hyperbolic torus uniformized by the commutator subgroup of \(\text{PSL}(2, \mathbb Z)\). Solutions sharing largest value \(z\) correspond to geodesics of equal depth of penetration into the cusp; there is thus a parabolic translation that takes a lift to the upper half-plane of one geodesic to the other. This leads to a congruence that is easily used in this prime power case to show uniqueness.

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Cites work

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Cited in

(15)

• The hyperbolic geometry of Markov's theorem on Diophantine approximation and quadratic forms
• The Markoff group of transformations in prime and composite moduli. With an appendix by Dan Carmon.
• Systoles of arithmetic surfaces and Markoff spectrum
• Boundary slopes for the Markov ordering on relatively prime pairs
• A geometric approach to the Frobenius unicity conjecture for the Markoff equation
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4068984 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 819083 (Why is no real title available?)
• On the structure of graphs of Markoff triples
• The sum of Lagrange numbers
• Congruence and uniqueness of certain Markoff numbers
• Non-planarity of Markoff graphs p
• Twist numbers on hyperbolic one-holed tori
• Uniqueness theorem of generalized Markov numbers that are prime powers
• Multiplicities of simple closed geodesics and hypersurfaces in Teichmüller space
• Markoff numbers and ambiguous classes

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