On the maximum size of a $(k,l)$-sum-free subset of an abelian group

Abstract

A subset $A$ of a given finite abelian group $G$ is called $(k,l)$-sum-free if the sum of $k$ (not necessarily distinct) elements of $A$ does not equal the sum of $l$ (not necessarily distinct) elements of $A$. We are interested in finding the maximum size ${\lambda }_{k,l}(G)$ of a $(k,l)$-sum-free subset in $G$. A $(2,1)$-sum-free set is simply called a sum-free set. The maximum size of a sum-free set in the cyclic group ${\mathbb{Z}}_n$ was found almost forty years ago by Diamanda and Yap; the general case for arbitrary finite abelian groups was recently settled by Green and Ruzsa. Here we find the value of ${\lambda }_{3,1}({\mathbb{Z}}_n)$. More generally, a recent paper of Hamidoune and Plagne examines $(k,l)$-sum-free sets in $G$ when $k-l$ and the order of $G$ are relatively prime; we extend their results to see what happens without this assumption.

To appear in the International Journal of Number Theory