Implementation of a Thue-Mahler equation solver

• Main Author: Hambrook, Kyle David
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2011
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/38244

A practical algorithm for solving an arbitrary Thue-Mahler equation is presented, and its correctness is proved. Methods of algebraic number theory are used to reduce the problem of solving the Thue-Mahler equation to the problem of solving a finite collection of related Diophatine equations having parameters in an algebraic number field. Bounds on the solutions of these equations are computed by employing the theory of linear forms in logarithms of algebraic numbers. Computational Diophantine approximation techniques based on lattice basis reduction are used to reduce the upper bounds to the point where a direct enumerative search of the solution space becomes possible. Such an enumerative search is carried out with the aid of a sieving procedure to finally determine the complete set of solutions of the Thue-Mahler equation. The algorithm is implemented in full generality as a function in the Magma computer algebra system. This is the first time a completely general algorithm for solving Thue-Mahler equations has been implemented as a computer program.