 Solution

Suppose, for a contradiction, that suitable nonzero polynomials vanish at both ${\alpha }^k$ and ${\alpha }^{k+1}$. If $P(\gamma )=0$, then the primitive minimal polynomial $f_{\gamma }$ divides $P$. The multiplicativity of Mahler measure and the Mahler measure bounded by polynomial length give

If $[\mathbb{Q}({\alpha }^k):\mathbb{Q}]=d$, then, using $H({\alpha }^k)=H(\alpha {)}^k$, this inequality contradicts $H(\alpha {)}^{kd}>nh$. Hence $\mathbb{Q}({\alpha }^k)$ is a proper intermediate field of $\mathbb{Q}(\alpha )/\mathbb{Q}$. Its degree divides the prime $d$ by the tower law, so ${\alpha }^k\in \mathbb{Q}$. Applying the same argument to ${\alpha }^{k+1}$ is even stronger and gives ${\alpha }^{k+1}\in \mathbb{Q}$. Since $\alpha \ne 0$,contrary to $d\ge 2$. At least one of the two proposed values of $\beta$ therefore has no such polynomial relation.