Problem

Source: USA January TST for the 55th IMO 2014

Tags: group theory, abstract algebra, modular arithmetic, algebra, polynomial, number theory



For a prime $p$, a subset $S$ of residues modulo $p$ is called a sum-free multiplicative subgroup of $\mathbb F_p$ if $\bullet$ there is a nonzero residue $\alpha$ modulo $p$ such that $S = \left\{ 1, \alpha^1, \alpha^2, \dots \right\}$ (all considered mod $p$), and $\bullet$ there are no $a,b,c \in S$ (not necessarily distinct) such that $a+b \equiv c \pmod p$. Prove that for every integer $N$, there is a prime $p$ and a sum-free multiplicative subgroup $S$ of $\mathbb F_p$ such that $\left\lvert S \right\rvert \ge N$. Proposed by Noga Alon and Jean Bourgain