Skolem-Mahler-Lech in rings of positive characteristic: a shorter proof and a multi-dimensional generalization

Abstract

Let $R$ be a commutative ring and $f(a_1, \ldots, a_n) = \sum_{i=1}^k r_{i1}^{a_1} \cdots r_{in}^{a_n} m_i$ be a linear-exponential map over an $R$-module $M$. Dong and Shafrir (2026) showed that, when $\ell M = 0$ for some $\ell \in \mathbb{N}_{>0}$, the zero set of $f$ is the intersection of effectively computable $p$-normal sets, where $p$ ranges over the prime divisors of $\ell$. This generalizes an earlier theorem of Derksen and Masser (2012) on the solution set of $S$-unit equations over fields of positive characteristic. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we give a shorter proof of Dong and Shafrir's result, using the theorem of Derksen-Masser as a blackbox. Our proof also yields a decomposition of the zero set as a positive Boolean combination of affine transformations of zero sets of linear-exponential equations over fields. Second, we prove a multi-dimensional generalization of the Skolem-Mahler-Lech theorem over rings of finite characteristic. Specifically, we show that the zero set of every $n$-dimensional linear recurrence sequence over an $R$-module $M$ satisfying $\ell M = 0$ is the intersection of effectively computable $p$-normal sets (in $\mathbb{N}^n$), where $p$ ranges over the prime divisors of $\ell$. For example, this gives a decision procedure for whether two classical linear recurrence sequences have a common value over a ring of characteristic $p^a$ or $p^a q^b$, where $p$ and $q$ are primes.