Lucas sequences whose 8th term is a square

arXivmath/0408371MaRDI QIDQ6474396FDOQ6474396

Publication date: 26 August 2004

Abstract: Let P and Q be non-zero integers. The Lucas sequence U_n(P,Q), n=0,1,2,... is defined by U_0=0, U_1=1, U_n= P U_{n-1}-Q U_{n-2} for n>1. For each positive integer n<8 we describe all Lucas sequences with (P,Q)=1 having the property that U_n(P,Q) is a perfect square. The arguments are elementary. The main part of the paper is devoted to finding all Lucas sequences such that U_8(P,Q) is a perfect square. This reduces to a number of problems of similar type, namely, finding all points on an elliptic curve defined over a quartic number field subject to a ``Q-rationality condition on the X-coordinate. This is achieved by p-adic computations (for a suitable prime p) using the formal group of the elliptic curve.

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Cubic and quartic Diophantine equations (11D25) Elliptic curves over global fields (11G05) Fibonacci and Lucas numbers and polynomials and generalizations (11B39)

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