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- \textbf{Theorem.} For every prime $p$, there exists at least one index $k$ such that
- $$
- \gcd(S_k,S_{k+1})=p.
- $$
- \textbf{Proof.}
- Fix a prime $p$.
- We use the Maynard--Tao theorem in the following form: for sufficiently large $K$, every admissible family of $K$ distinct fixed linear forms contains at least two primes for infinitely many values of the variable.
- Choose such a $K$, and choose an admissible set
- $$
- \mathcal H=\{h_1<h_2<\cdots<h_K\}
- $$
- of nonnegative integers. Put
- $$
- H:=h_K.
- $$
- For example, if
- $$
- W:=\prod_{\substack{\ell\le K\\ \ell\ {\rm prime}}}\ell,
- $$
- we may take
- $$
- \mathcal H=\{0,W,2W,\ldots,(K-1)W\}.
- $$
- For every integer
- $$
- t\in\{0,1,\ldots,pH\}
- \setminus\{ph_1,\ldots,ph_K\},
- $$
- choose three distinct primes
- $$
- \ell_{t,1},\ell_{t,2},\ell_{t,3}>pH,
- $$
- with no prime reused for two different values of $t$, and put
- $$
- m_t:=\ell_{t,1}\ell_{t,2}\ell_{t,3}.
- $$
- Thus the $m_t$ are pairwise coprime and
- $$
- \gcd(p,m_t)=1.
- $$
- For every such $t$, impose the congruence
- $$
- pa+t\equiv0\pmod{m_t}.
- $$
- Since the $m_t$ are pairwise coprime, the Chinese Remainder Theorem gives a simultaneous solution
- $$
- a\pmod M,
- \qquad
- M:=\prod_t m_t.
- $$
- Define
- $$
- L_i(n):=Mn+a+h_i,
- \qquad 1\le i\le K.
- $$
- We claim that these linear forms are admissible.
- First suppose that a prime $\ell$ divides $M$. Then $\ell$ divides a unique $m_t$. Since
- $$
- pa+t\equiv0\pmod\ell,
- $$
- we have
- $$
- p(a+h_i)\equiv ph_i-t\pmod\ell.
- $$
- Because $t\ne ph_i$ and
- $$
- |ph_i-t|\le pH<\ell,
- $$
- we obtain
- $$
- ph_i-t\not\equiv0\pmod\ell.
- $$
- Hence
- $$
- a+h_i\not\equiv0\pmod\ell
- $$
- for every $i$, and therefore
- $$
- L_i(n)\not\equiv0\pmod\ell
- $$
- for every $i$ and every $n$.
- Now suppose that $\ell\nmid M$. Since $M$ is invertible modulo $\ell$, the residue classes of $n$ for which
- $$
- L_i(n)\equiv0\pmod\ell
- $$
- are an affine image of the residue classes occupied by
- $$
- h_1,\ldots,h_K.
- $$
- Since $\mathcal H$ is admissible, these do not cover all residue classes modulo $\ell$.
- Thus
- $$
- \{L_1,\ldots,L_K\}
- $$
- is an admissible family of distinct linear forms.
- By the Maynard--Tao theorem, there are infinitely many $n$ for which at least two of
- $$
- L_1(n),\ldots,L_K(n)
- $$
- are prime.
- Fix one such sufficiently large $n$, and write
- $$
- N:=Mn+a.
- $$
- Choose two prime-valued forms
- $$
- q:=N+h_i,
- \qquad
- q':=N+h_j,
- \qquad i<j,
- $$
- such that no $L_s(n)$ with
- $$
- i<s<j
- $$
- is prime.
- Now consider
- $$
- pq
- \qquad\text{and}\qquad
- pq'.
- $$
- Both are semiprimes.
- We claim that there is no semiprime strictly between them.
- Let
- $$
- pq<x<pq'.
- $$
- Since $x$ is an integer, write
- $$
- x=pN+t.
- $$
- Then
- $$
- ph_i<t<ph_j.
- $$
- There are two cases.
- If
- $$
- t\notin\{ph_1,\ldots,ph_K\},
- $$
- then $m_t$ was included in the CRT construction. Since $m_t\mid M$ and
- $$
- pa+t\equiv0\pmod{m_t},
- $$
- we have
- $$
- m_t\mid p(Mn+a)+t=x.
- $$
- But $m_t$ is a product of three distinct primes. Hence
- $$
- \Omega(x)\ge3,
- $$
- so $x$ is not a semiprime.
- If instead
- $$
- t=ph_s
- $$
- for some $s$, then necessarily
- $$
- i<s<j.
- $$
- Therefore
- $$
- x=p(N+h_s)=pL_s(n).
- $$
- By the choice of $i$ and $j$, $L_s(n)$ is composite. Hence
- $$
- \Omega(L_s(n))\ge2,
- $$
- and therefore
- $$
- \Omega(x)\ge3.
- $$
- Again, $x$ is not a semiprime.
- Thus there is no semiprime strictly between
- $$
- pq
- \qquad\text{and}\qquad
- pq'.
- $$
- Hence these are consecutive semiprimes. Therefore, for some index $k$,
- $$
- S_k=pq,
- \qquad
- S_{k+1}=pq'.
- $$
- Since $q$ and $q'$ are distinct primes,
- $$
- \gcd(S_k,S_{k+1})
- =
- \gcd(pq,pq')
- =
- p.
- $$
- Therefore, for the fixed prime $p$, there exists at least one index $k$ such that
- $$
- \boxed{\gcd(S_k,S_{k+1})=p.}
- $$
- Since $p$ was arbitrary, the result holds for every prime $p$.
- $\boxed{}$
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