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Research notes on every problem, and a library of the papers behind them. Built from the open erdos repository.

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Realizing a fixed pattern. Choose an integer Ω≥1\Omega\ge1 bounding ∣x∣|x| and ∣y∣|y| on SS. Then every d=y−xd=y-x satisfies ∣d∣≤2Ω|d|\le2\Omega. Fix 3≤α<43\le\alpha<4 and choose an integer M≥2ΩM\ge2\Omega such that

(4−α)M≥16Ω+1.(4-\alpha)M\ge16\Omega+1.

By Green and Tao's Theorem 1.1, there are integers a≥2a\ge2, h≥1h\ge1 such that a+jha+jh is prime for every 0≤j≤M+2Ω0\le j\le M+2\Omega. Put q=a+Mhq=a+Mh. For every cell of SS,

q+h(y−x)=a+(M+y−x)hq+h(y-x)=a+(M+y-x)h

is one of these primes. The indices lie between 00 and M+2ΩM+2\Omega, and distinct cells have distinct indices by the injectivity of y−xy-x. On the dilated cell set hShS, take ω=hΩ\omega=h\Omega. We have

(4−α)q≥(4−α)Mh≥(16Ω+1)h≥16ω+1.(4-\alpha)q\ge (4-\alpha)Mh \ge(16\Omega+1)h\ge16\omega+1.

Thus L198 applies to hShS and qq. Multiplication by the nonzero integer hh preserves the cardinalities of all three projections. L198 therefore gives precisely the required count in a block of ⌊αP⌋\lfloor\alpha P\rfloor consecutive positive integers, where PP is the largest chosen prime. This proves the first assertion.

The progression minimum. Define F3′(u)F'_3(u) exactly as in the claim, using distinct positive common differences. The minimum exists because the attainable cardinalities form a nonempty subset of the positive integers.

For the lower bound, take any uu primes with largest member PP and any block JJ of K=⌊αP⌋K=\lfloor\alpha P\rfloor consecutive integers. Since K≥3PK\ge3P, for every chosen prime pp there are three consecutive multiples m,m+p,m+2pm,m+p,m+2p in JJ. The set of counted integers therefore contains progressions with uu distinct positive differences, so its size is at least F3′(u)F'_3(u).

For the upper bound, let A⊂ZA\subset\mathbb Z attain F3′(u)F'_3(u). Select exactly uu of its distinct positive differences did_i, and choose ai,ai+di,ai+2di∈Aa_i,a_i+d_i,a_i+2d_i\in A for each. The cells S={(ai,ai+di):1≤i≤u}S=\{(a_i,a_i+d_i):1\le i\le u\} have injective differences. Their three projections are subsets of AA, so their cardinalities sum to at most 3∣A∣3|A|. The first assertion realizes this cell set as primes and a block with that sum as its exact count. Consequently

F3′(u)≤Gα(u)≤3F3′(u).F'_3(u)\le G_\alpha(u)\le3F'_3(u).

Finally any block of ⌊αP⌋≥3P\lfloor\alpha P\rfloor\ge3P integers contains a subblock of 3P3P integers. Its count is therefore at least G3(u)G_3(u). Combining this with F3′(u)≤G3(u)F'_3(u)\le G_3(u) gives G3(u)≤Gα(u)≤3G3(u)G_3(u)\le G_\alpha(u)\le3G_3(u). No limit in uu or uniform bound on the sizes of the realizing primes is needed.