Diophantine inequalities with mixed powers (Q5896239)

In 1946 \textit{H. Davenport} and \textit{H. Heilbronn} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 21, 185-193 (1946; Zbl 0060.119)] introduced an important variant of the Hardy-Littlewood method. This enabled them to prove: Suppose that \(s\geq 2^ k+1\) and that \(\lambda_ 1,...,\lambda_ s\) are non-zero real numbers not all in rational ratio, and not all of the same sign when k is even. Then for every positive number \(\eta\) there exist integers \(x_ 1,...,x_ s\) not all zero, such that \(| \lambda_ 1x^ k\!_ 1+...+\lambda_ sx^ k\!_ s|<\eta.\) Improvements on \(\eta\) and \(2^ k+1\) were made by \textit{A. Baker} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 228, 166- 181 (1967; Zbl 0155.092)], \textit{R. C. Vaughan} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 28, 373-384 and 385-401 (1974; Zbl 0274.10045; Zbl 0276.10031)] and others. In the present paper the authors modify the method of Davenport and Heilbronn and combine it with ideas due to \textit{G. L. Watson} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 3, 170-181 (1953; Zbl 0050.047)] and \textit{H. Davenport} and \textit{K. F. Roth} [Mathematika 2, 81-96 (1955; Zbl 0066.293)] to obtain an analogous result on mixed powers. They prove that there exists \(\sigma>0\) such that the inequality \[ | \lambda_ 1 x^ 2\!_ 1+\lambda_ 2 x^ 2\!_ 2+\lambda_ 3 x^ 3\!_ 3+\lambda_ 4 x^ 3\!_ 4+\lambda_ 5 x^ 5\!_ 5+\lambda_ 6 x^ 5\!_ 6| \quad<\quad(\max x_ j)^{-\sigma} \] has infinitely many solutions in positive integers \(x_ j\). Similar results are also proved with other combinations in place of the two fifth powers.