Sharp bounds on the number of squares in recurrence sequences and solutions of X^{2}-\left( a^{2}+b \right) Y^{4}=-b

MaRDI QIDQ6503369arXivFDO

Authors Paul Voutier

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Cubic and quartic Diophantine equations (11D25) Measures of irrationality and of transcendence (11J82)

Abstract: We generalise and improve a result of Stoll, Walsh and Yuan by showing that there are at most two solutions in coprime positive integers of the equation in the title when $b=p^m$ where $m$ is a non-negative integer, $p$ is prime, $(a,p)=1$, $a^2+p^{2m}$ not a perfect square and $x^2-left(a^2+p^{2m}ight)y^2=-1$ has an integer solution. This result is best possible. We also obtain best possible results for all positive integer solutions when $m=1$ and $2$. When $b$ is an arbitrary square with $(a,b)=1$ and $a^2+b^2$ not a perfect square, we are able to prove there are at most three solutions in coprime positive integers provided $x^2-left(a^2+b^{2}ight)y^2=-1$ has an integer solution and $x^2-left(a^2+b^{2}ight)y^2=-b^2$ has only one family of solutions. Our proof is based on a novel use of the hypergeometric method that may also be useful for other problems.

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