Let σA(n)=∣{(a,a′)∈A2:a+a′=n}∣, where n∈ℕ and A is a subset of ℕ. Erdős and Turán con-jectured that for any basis A of ℕ, σA(n) is unbounded. In 1990, Ruzsa constructed a basis A⊂ℕ for which σA(n) is bounded in square mean. Based on Ruzsa’s method, we proved that there exists a basis A of ℕ satisfying ∑ n≤Nσ2A(n)≤1449757928N for large enough N. In this paper, we give a quantitative result for the existence of N, that is, we show that there exists a basis A of ℕ satisfying ∑ n≤Nσ2A(n)≤1069693154N for N≥7.628 517 798×1027, which improves earlier results of the author [‘A note on a result of Ruzsa’, Bull. Aust. Math. Soc.77 (2008), 91–98].

We show that if G is a group and A⊂G is a finite set with ∣A2∣≤K∣A∣, then there is a symmetric neighbourhood of the identity S such that Sk⊂A2A−2 and ∣S∣≥exp (−KO(k))∣A∣.

We describe the structure of ‘K-approximate subgroups’ of torsion-free nilpotent groups, paying particular attention to Lie groups.

Three other works, by Fisher et al., by Sanders and by Tao, have appeared that independently address related issues. We comment briefly on some of the connections between these papers.

Let {En} be the Euler numbers. We give a general congruence modulo 2(m+2)n for E2mk+b, where k,m,n are positive integers and b∈{0,2,4,…}.

Let 𝒜={as(mod ns)}ks=0 be a system of residue classes. With the help of cyclotomic fields we obtain a theorem which unifies several previously known results related to the covering multiplicity of 𝒜. In particular, we show that if every integer lies in more than m0=⌊∑ ks=11/ns⌋ members of 𝒜, then for any a=0,1,2,… there are at least subsets I of {1,…,k} with ∑ s∈I1/ns=a/n0. We also characterize when any integer lies in at most m members of 𝒜, where m is a fixed positive integer.

A number is called upper (lower) flat if its shift by +1 ( −1) is a power of 2 times a squarefree number. If the squarefree number is 1 or a single odd prime then the original number is called upper (lower) thin. Upper flat numbers which are primes arise in the study of multi-perfect numbers. Here we show that the lower or upper flat primes have asymptotic density relative to that of the full set of primes given by twice Artin’s constant, that more than 53% of the primes are both lower and upper flat, and that the series of reciprocals of the lower or the upper thin primes converges.

We prove that for any positive integers x,d and k with gcd (x,d)=1 and 3<k<35, the product x(x+d)⋯(x+(k−1)d) cannot be a perfect power. This yields a considerable extension of previous results of Győry et al. and Bennett et al., which covered the cases where k≤11. We also establish more general theorems for the case where x can also be a negative integer and where the product yields an almost perfect power. As in the proofs of the earlier theorems, for fixed k we reduce the problem to systems of ternary equations. However, our results do not follow as a mere computational sharpening of the approach utilized previously; instead, they require the introduction of fundamentally new ideas. For k>11, a large number of new ternary equations arise, which we solve by combining the Frey curve and Galois representation approach with local and cyclotomic considerations. Furthermore, the number of systems of equations grows so rapidly with k that, in contrast with the previous proofs, it is practically impossible to handle the various cases in the usual manner. The main novelty of this paper lies in the development of an algorithm for our proofs, which enables us to use a computer. We apply an efficient, iterated combination of our procedure for solving the new ternary equations that arise with several sieves based on the ternary equations already solved. In this way, we are able to exclude the solvability of the enormous number of systems of equations under consideration. Our general algorithm seems to work for larger values of k as well, although there is, of course, a computational time constraint.

In this paper we prove the following result: there exists an infinite arithmetic progression of positive odd numbers such that for any term k of the sequence and any nonnegative integer n, each of the 16 integers k−2n, k−2−2n, k−4−2n, k−6−2n, k−8−2n, k−10−2n, k−12−2n, k−14−2n, k2n−1, (k−2)2n−1, (k−4)2n−1, (k−6)2n−1, (k−8)2n−1, (k−10)2n−1, (k−12)2n−1 and (k−14)2n−1 has at least two distinct odd prime factors; in particular, for each term k, none of the eight integers k, k−2, k−4, k−6, k−8, k−10, k−12 or k−14 can be expressed as a sum of two prime powers.

Let P(k) be the largest prime factor of the positive integer k. In this paper, we prove that the series is convergent for each constant α<1/2, which gives a more precise form of a result of C. L. Stewart [‘On divisors of Fermat, Fibonacci, Lucas and Lehmer numbers’, Proc. London Math. Soc. 35(3) (1977), 425–447].

Suppose that G is an abelian group and that A ⊂ G is finite and contains no non-trivial three-term arithmetic progressions. We show that |A+A| »ε|A|(log|A|)⅓−ε.

Let $p$ be a prime, and let $f:\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}\to \mathbb{R}$ be a function with $\mathbb{E}f=0$ and $||\hat{f}|{{|}_{1}}\le 1$ . Then ${{\min }_{x\in \mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}}}|f\left( x \right)|=O{{\left( \log p \right)}^{-1/3+\in }}$ . One should think of $f$ as being “approximately continuous”; our result is then an “approximate intermediate value theorem”.

As an immediate consequence we show that if $A\subseteq \mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}$ is a set of cardinality $\left\lfloor {p}/{2}\; \right\rfloor $ , then ${{\sum }_{r}}\widehat{|\,{{1}_{A}}}\left( r \right)|\gg {{\left( \log p \right)}^{1/3-\in }}$ . This gives a result on a “ $\,\bmod \,p$ ” analogue of Littlewood's well-known problem concerning the smallest possible ${{L}^{1}}$ -norm of the Fourier transform of a set of $n$ integers.

Another application is to answer a question of Gowers. If $A\,\subseteq \,{\mathbb{Z}}/{p\mathbb{Z}}\;$ is a set of size $\left\lfloor {p}/{2}\; \right\rfloor $ , then there is some $x\,\in \,\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}$ such that

$$||A\cap \left( A+x \right)\,-\,p/4|\,=o\left( p \right).$$

We prove quantitative versions of the Balog–Szemerédi–Gowers and Freiman theorems in the model case of a finite field geometry 𝔽2n, improving the previously known bounds in such theorems. For instance, if is such that ∣A+A∣≤K∣A∣ (thus A has small additive doubling), we show that there exists an affine subspace H of 𝔽2n of cardinality such that . Under the assumption that A contains at least ∣A∣3/K quadruples with a1+a2+a3+a4=0, we obtain a similar result, albeit with the slightly weaker condition ∣H∣≫K−O(K)∣A∣.

Erdős and Odlyzko proved that odd integers k such that k2n+1 is prime for some positive integer n have a positive lower density. In this paper, we characterize all arithmetic progressions in which natural numbers that can be expressed in the form (p−1)2−n (where p is a prime number) have a positive proportion. We also prove that an arithmetic progression consisting of odd numbers can be obtained from a covering system if and only if those integers in such a progression which can be expressed in the form (p−1)2−n have an asymptotic density of zero.

We study sums involving multiplicative functions that take values over a nonhomogenous Beatty sequence. We then apply our result in a few special cases to obtain asymptotic formulas for quantities such as the number of integers in a Beatty sequence that are representable as a sum of two squares up to a given magnitude.

Let σA(n)=∣{(a,a′)∈A2:a+a′=n}∣, where and A is a subset of . Erdös and Turán conjectured that, for any basis A of , σA(n) is unbounded. In 1990, Ruzsa constructed a basis for which σA(n) is bounded in the square mean. In this paper, based on Ruzsa’s method, we show that there exists a basis A of satisfying for large enough N.

In this paper, an improvement of a large sieve type inequality in high dimensions is presented, and its implications on a related problem are discussed.

Let A⊆ℕ, let p be a prime and w a word over ℤ pℤ ending with a non-zero digit. The relationship is investigated between the density of A. the length of w and the density of the set of numbers n for which the base p expansion of ends with w0n for some a ∈ A. Also considered is the analogous problem on Pascal's triangle. This leads in particular to answering a question of Granville and Zhu [7] regarding the asymptotic frequency of sums of 3 squares in Pascal's triangle.

In this paper we derive a relation between character sums and partial sums of Dirichlet series.

An original linear algebraic approach to the basic notion of Freiman's isomorphism is developed and used in conjunction with a combinatorial argument to answer two questions, posed by Freiman about 35 years ago.

First, the order of growth is established of t(n), the number of classes isomorphic n-element sets of integers: t(n) = n(2 + σ(1))n. Second, it is proved linear Roth sets (sets of integers free of arithmetic progressions and having Freiman rank 1) exist and, moreover, the number of classes of such cardinality n is amazingly large; in fact, it is “the same as above”: .