Characterization of nontrivial common divisors of Pell-Lucas terms and indices

From papers

Let (Qn)n0(Q_n)_{n\geq 0} be the associated Pell sequence. For a prime pp, let the rank of apparition (or entry point) eQ(p)e_Q(p) be the smallest positive integer rr such that pp divides QrQ_r. The nontrivial-gcd conjecture. For every k1k\geq 1, one has

gcd(Qk,k)>1\gcd(Q_k,k)>1

if and only if there exists a prime pp such that pp divides kk and eQ(p)e_Q(p) divides kk. For example, gcd(Q21,21)=7\gcd(Q_{21},21)=7, and for p=7p=7, both 77 divides 2121 and eQ(7)=3e_Q(7)=3 divides 2121. This would characterize exactly when an associated Pell number and its index have a nontrivial common divisor; the supplied text gives the criterion as a claim and illustrates it, but provides no resolution beyond that example.

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Primary source

aBa Mbirika, Janee Schrader and Jürgen Spilker, “Pell and associated Pell braid sequences as GCDs of sums of k consecutive Pell, balancing, and related numbers”, arXiv:2301.05758 (2023).

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