Past Number Theory Seminar

It is an old problem in number theory to count number fields of a fixed degree and having a fixed Galois group for its Galois closure, ordered by their absolute discriminant, say. In this talk, I shall discuss some background of this problem, and then report a recent work with Stanley Xiao. In our paper, we considered quartic $D_4$-fields whose ring of integers has a certain nice algebraic property, and we counted such fields by their conductor.

Exponents of Diophantine approximation are defined to study specific sets of real numbers for which Dirichlet's pigeonhole principle can be improved. Khintchine stated a transference principle between the two exponents in the cases  of simultaneous approximation and approximation by linear forms. This shows that exponents of Diophantine approximation are related, and these relations can be studied via so called spectra. In this talk, we provide an optimal bound for the ratio between ordinary and uniform exponents of Diophantine approximation for both simultaneous approximation and approximation by linear forms. This is joint work with Nikolay Moshchevitin.

Let $P$ be a random polynomial of degree $d$ such that the leading and constant coefficients are 1 and the rest of the coefficients are independent random variables taking the value 0 or 1 with equal probability. Odlyzko and Poonen conjectured that $P$ is irreducible with probability tending to 1 as $d$ grows.  I will talk about an on-going joint work with Emmanuel Breuillard, in which we prove that GRH implies this conjecture. The proof is based on estimates for the mixing time of random walks on $\mathbb{F}_p$, where the steps are given by the maps $x \rightarrow ax$ and $x \rightarrow ax+1$ with equal probability.

Let $f_1,\dots,f_k$ be real polynomials with no constant term and degree at most $d$. We will talk about work in progress showing that there are integers $n$ such that the fractional part of each of the $f_i(n)$ is very small, with the quantitative bound being essentially optimal in the $k$-aspect. This is based on the interplay between Fourier analysis, Diophantine approximation and the geometry of numbers. In particular, the key idea is to find strong additive structure in Fourier coefficients.

There is a conjecture by Colliot-Thelene (about 2005) that under specific hypotheses, a morphism of Q-varieties f : X --> Y has the property that for almost all prime numbers p, the corresponding map X(Q_p) --> Y(Q_p) is surjective. A sharpening of the conjecture was solved by Denef (2016), and later, "if and only if" conditions on f were given by Skorobogatov et al. The plan for the talk is to explain in detail the conjecture and the results mentioned above, and to report on work in progress on a different method to attack the conjecture under quite relaxed hypotheses.

The construction of permutation functions of a finite field is a task of great interest in cryptography and coding theory. In this talk we describe a method which combines Chebotarev density theorem with elementary group theory to produce permutation rational functions over a finite field F_q. Our method is entirely constructive and as a corollary we get the classification of permutation polynomials up to degree 4 over any finite field of odd characteristic.

This is a joint work with Andrea Ferraguti.
 

After reviewing old work with Teitelbaum, in which we constructed the character variety X of the additive group o_L in a finite extension L/Q_p and established the Fourier isomorphism for the distribution algebra of o_L, I will briefly report on more recent work with Berger and Xie, in which we establish the theory of (\varphi_L,\Gamma_L)-modules over X and relate it to Galois representations. Then I will discuss an ongoing project with Venjakob. Our goal is to use this theory over X for Iwasawa theory.

I will give a gentle introduction to joint work in progress with George Boxer, Frank Calegari, and Vincent Pilloni, in which we prove that all abelian surfaces over totally real fields are potentially modular. We also prove that infinitely many abelian surfaces over Q are modular.

I will talk about some recent work with Chantal David and Matilde Lalin about the mean value of L-functions associated to cubic characters over F_q[t] when q=1 (mod 3). I will explain how to obtain an asymptotic formula with a (maybe a little surprising) main term, which relies on using results from the theory of metaplectic Eisenstein series about cancellation in averages of cubic Gauss sums over functions fields.

Serre's uniformity question concerns the possible ways the Galois group of Q can act on the p-torsion of an elliptic curve over Q. In this talk I will survey what is known about this question, and describe two recent results related to the Chabauty-Kim method. The first, which is joint work with Jennifer Balakrishnan, Steffen Muller, Jan Tuitman and Jan Vonk, completes the classification of elliptic curves over Q with split Cartan level structure. The second, which is work in progress with Samuel Le Fourn, Samir Siksek and Jan Vonk, concerns the applicability of the Chabauty-Kim method in determining the elliptic curves with non-split Cartan level structure.
 

Let L be a lattice in R^n and let Z in R^(m+n) a parameterized family of subsets Z_T of R^n. Starting from an old result of Davenport and using O-minimal structures, together with Martin Widmer, we proved for fairly general families Z an estimate for the number of points of L in Z_T, which is essentially best possible.
After introducing the problem and stating the result, we will present applications to counting algebraic integers of bounded height and to Manin’s Conjecture.

Mazur observed that in many cases where an elliptic curve E has a non-trivial element C in its Tate-Shafarevich group, one can find another elliptic curve E' such that ExE' admits an isogeny that kills C. For elements of order 2 and 3 one can prove that such an E' always exists. However, for order 4 this leads to a question about rational points on certain K3-surfaces. We show how to explicitly construct these surfaces and give some results on their rational points.

This is joint work with Tom Fisher.
 

The Faltings height is a useful invariant for addressing questions in arithmetic geometry. In his celebrated proof of the Mordell and Shafarevich conjectures, Faltings shows the Faltings height satisfies a certain Northcott property, which allows him to deduce his finiteness statements. In this work we prove a new Northcott property for the Faltings height. Namely we show, assuming the Colmez Conjecture and the Artin Conjecture, that there are finitely many CM abelian varieties of a fixed dimension which have bounded Faltings height. The technique developed uses new tools from integral p-adic Hodge theory to study the variation of Faltings height within an isogeny class of CM abelian varieties. In special cases, we are able to use these techniques to moreover develop new Colmez-type formulas for the Faltings height.

In his landmark 1976 paper "Modular curves and the Eisenstein ideal", Mazur studied congruences modulo p between cusp forms and an Eisenstein series of weight 2 and prime level N. He proved a great deal about these congruences, and also posed some questions: how many cusp forms of a given level are congruent to the Eisenstein series? How big is the extension generated by their coefficients? In joint work with Preston Wake, we give an answer to these questions in terms of cup products (and Massey products) in Galois cohomology. Time permitting, we may be able to indicate some partial generalisations of Mazur's results to square-free level.

We count monic quartic polynomials with prescribed Galois group, by box height. Among other things, we obtain the order of magnitude for  quartics, and show that non-quartics are dominated by reducibles. Tools include the geometry of numbers, diophantine approximation, the invariant theory of binary forms, and the determinant method. Joint with Rainer Dietmann.

l-adic cohomology was built to provide an etale cohomology with coefficients in a field of characteristic 0. This, via the Grothendieck trace formula, gives  a cohomological interpretation of L-functions - a fundamental tool in Deligne's theory of weights developed in Weil II. Instead of l-adic coefficients one can consider coefficients in ultra products of finite fields. I will state the fundamental theorem of Weil II for curves in this setting and explain briefly what are the difficulties to overcome to adjust Deligne's proof. I will then discuss how this ultra product variant of Weil II allows to extend to arbitrary coefficients  previous results of Gabber and Hui, Tamagawa and myself for constant $\mathbb{Z}_\ell$-coefficients.  For instance,  it implies that, in an $E$-rational compatible system of smooth $\overline{\mathbb{Q}}_\ell$-sheaves all what is true for $\overline{\mathbb{Q}}_\ell$-coefficients (semi simplicity, irreducibility, invariant dimensions etc) is true for $\overline{\mathbb{F}}_\ell$-coefficients provided $\ell$ is large enough or that the $\overline{\mathbb{Z}}_\ell$-models are unique with torsion-free cohomology provided $\ell$ is large enough.

A famous theorem due to Erdős and Kac states that the number of prime divisors of an integer N behaves like a normal distribution. In this talk we consider analogues of this result in the setting of arithmetic geometry, and obtain probability distributions for questions related to local solubility of algebraic varieties. This is joint work with Efthymios Sofos.

This talk will report on the definition of some motivic cohomology classes and the proof that they satisfy the norm relations expected of Euler systems, emphasizing a connection with the local Gan-Gross-Prasad conjecture.

Let k be a field of characteristic zero and K=k((t)). Semi-algebraic sets over K are boolean combinations of algebraic sets and sets defined by valuative inequalities. The associated Grothendieck ring has been studied by Hrushovski and Kazhdan who link it via motivic integration to the Grothendieck ring of varieties over k. I will present a morphism from the former to the Grothendieck ring of motives of rigid analytic varieties over K in the sense of Ayoub. This allows to refine the comparison by Ayoub, Ivorra and Sebag between motivic Milnor fibre and motivic nearby cycle functor.
 

Recall that an integer n is called y-smooth when each of its prime divisors is less than or equal to y. It is conjectured that, for any a>0,  any polynomial of positive degree having integral coefficients should possess infinitely many values at integral arguments n that are n^a-smooth. One could consider this problem to be morally “dual” to the cognate problem of establishing that irreducible polynomials assume prime values infinitely often, unless local conditions preclude this possibility. This smooth values conjecture is known to be true in several different ways for linear polynomials, but in general remains unproven for any degree exceeding 1. We will describe some limited progress in the direction of the conjecture, highlighting along the way analogous conclusions for polynomial smoothness. Despite being motivated by a problem in analytic number theory, most of the methods make use of little more than pre-Galois theory. A guest appearance will be made by several hyperelliptic curves. [This talk is based on work joint with Jonathan Bober, Dan Fretwell and Greg Martin].

For a smooth variety over a number field, one defines various different homology groups (Betti, de Rham, etale, log-crystalline), which carry various kinds of enriching structure and are thought of as a system of realisations for a putative underlying (mixed) motivic homology group. Following Deligne, one can study fundamental groups in the same way, and the study of specific realisations of the motivic fundamental group has already found Diophantine applications, for instance in the anabelian proof of Siegel's theorem by Kim.

It is hoped that study of fundamental groups should give one access to ``higher'' arithmetic information not visible in the first cohomology, for instance classical and p-adic heights. In this talk, we will discuss recent work making this hope concrete, by demonstrating how local components of canonical heights on abelian varieties admit a natural description in terms of fundamental groups.

Kim's iterative non-abelian reciprocity laws carve out a sequence of subsets of the adelic points of a suitable algebraic variety, containing the global points. Like Ellenberg's obstructions to the existence of global points, they are based on nilpotent approximations to the variety. Systematically exploiting this idea gives a sequence starting with the Brauer-Manin obstruction, based on the theory of obstruction towers in algebraic topology. For Shimura varieties, nilpotent approximations are inadequate as the fundamental group is nearly perfect, but relative completions produce an interesting obstruction tower. For modular curves, these maps take values in Galois cohomology of modular forms, and give obstructions to an adelic elliptic curve with global Tate module underlying a global elliptic curve.

It is a standard heuristic that sums of oscillating number theoretic functions, like the M\"obius function or Dirichlet characters, should exhibit squareroot cancellation. It is often very difficult to prove anything as strong as that, and we generally expect that if we could prove squareroot cancellation it would be the best possible bound. I will discuss recent results showing that, in fact, certain averages of multiplicative functions exhibit a bit more than squareroot cancellation.

Given a representation of Gal_{Q_p} with coefficients in a p-adically complete local ring R, Fukaya and Kato have conjectured the existence of a canonical trivialization of the determinant of a certain cohomology complex.  When R=Z_p and the representation is a lattice in a de Rham representation, this trivialization should be related to the \varepsilon-factor of the corresponding Weil--Deligne representation.  Such a trivialization has been constructed for certain crystalline Galois representations, by the work of a number of authors. I will explain how to extend these trivializations to certain families of crystalline Galois representations.  This is joint work with Otmar Venjakob.

Dynatomic curves parametrize n-periodic orbits of a one-parameter family of polynomial dynamical systems. These curves lack the structure of their arithmetic-geometric analogues (modular curves of level n) but can be studied dynamically.  Morton and Silverman conjectured a dynamical analogue of the uniform boundedness conjecture (theorems of Mazur, Merel), asserting uniform bounds for the number of rational periodic points for such a family.  I will discuss recent work towards the function field version of their conjecture, including results on the reduction mod p of dynatomic curves for the quadratic polynomial family z^2+c.