This is a small note on Manin's 1966 article on rational surfaces over perfect fields, the conjecture he formulates there, and later developments. This text is by no means exhaustive and reflects the author's understanding and interest. References for background and general studies are provided.
Upper and lower bounds, of the expected order of magnitude, are obtained for the number of rational points of bounded height on any quartic del Pezzo surface over $\mathbb{Q}$ that contains a conic defined over $\mathbb{Q}$.
We report on progress in the qualitative study of rational points on rationally connected varieties over number fields, also examining integral points, zero-cycles, and non-rationally connected varieties. One of the main objectives is to highlight and explain the many recent interactions with analytic number theory.
In this paper, we examine how well a rational point P on an algebraic variety X can be approximated by other rational points. We conjecture that if P lies on a rational curve, then the best approximations to P on X can be chosen to lie along a rational curve. We prove this conjecture for a wide range of examples, and for a great many more examples we deduce our conjecture from Vojta's Main Conjecture.
I provide methods of constructing elliptic and hyperelliptic curves over global fields with interesting rational points over the given fields or over large field extensions. I also provide a elliptic curves defined over any given number field equipped with a rational point, (resp. with two rational points) of infinite order over the given number field, and elliptic curves over the rationals with two rational points over `simplest cubic fields.' I also provide hyperelliptic curves of genus exceeding any given number over any given number fields with points (over the given number field) which sp…
A complex projective manifold is rationally connected, resp. rationally simply connected, if finite subsets are connected by a rational curve, resp. the spaces parameterizing these connecting rational curves are themselves rationally connected. We prove that a projective scheme over a global function field with vanishing "elementary obstruction" has a rational point if it deforms to a rationally simply connected variety in characteristic 0. This gives new, uniform proofs over these fields of the Period-Index Theorem, the quasi-split case of Serre's "Conjecture II", and Lang's $C_2$ property.
We prove a lower bound that agrees with Manin's prediction for the number of rational points of bounded height on the Fermat cubic surface. As an application we provide a simple counterexample to Manin's conjecture over the rationals.
For a large class of isotrivial rational elliptic surfaces (with section), we show that the set of rational points is dense for the Zariski topology, by carefully studying variations of root numbers among the fibers of these surfaces. We also prove that these surfaces satisfy a variant of weak-weak approximation. Our results are conditional on the finiteness of Tate-Shafarevich groups for elliptic curves over the field of rational numbers.
Let X be a non-singular projective hypersurface of degree 4, which is defined over the rational numbers. Assume that X has dimension 39 or more, and that X contains a real point and p-adic points for every prime p. Then X is shown to contain infinitely many rational points.
In this paper,we count the rational points on the weighted projective spaces defined over number fields w.r.t. ``size''. An asymptotic formula which generalizes the result of Schanuel's ``Heights in number fields'' is obtained. Furthermore, we count also the rational points on the product of weighted projective spaces.
Motivated by a recent question of Peyre, we apply the Hardy-Littlewood circle method to count "sufficiently free" rational points of bounded height on arbitrary smooth projective hypersurfaces of low degree that are defined over the rational numbers.
We show that the motivic zeta functions of smooth, geometrically connected curves with no rational points are rational functions. This was previously known only for curves whose smooth projective models have a rational point on each connected component. In the course of the proof we study the class of a Severi-Brauer scheme over a general base in the Grothendieck ring of varieties.
We show that the count of rational points by de la Bretèche, Browning and Salberger on the Cayley ruled cubic surface extends to all non-normal integral hypercubics which are not cones.
We investigate Fano varieties defined over a number field that contain subvarieties whose number of rational points of bounded height is comparable to the total number on the variety.
We prove that for any of a wide class of elliptic surfaces $X$ defined over a number field $k$, if there is an algebraic point on $X$ that lies on only finitely many rational curves, then there is an algebraic point on $X$ that lies on no rational curves. In particular, our theorem applies to a large class of elliptic $K3$ surfaces, which relates to a question posed by Bogomolov in 1981. We apply our results to construct an explicit algebraic point on a $K3$ surface that does not lie on any smooth rational curves.
Let $X$ be an Enriques surface defined over a number field $K$. Then there exists a finite extension $K'/K$ such that the set of $K'$-rational points of $X$ is Zariski dense.
We prove the $W\mathcal{O}$-rationality of klt threefolds and the rational chain connectedness of klt Fano threefolds over a perfect field of characteristic $p>5$. As a consequence, any klt Fano threefold over a finite field has a rational point.
We relate the problem of counting number fields, in particular, Malle's conjecture with the problem of counting rational points on singular Fano varieties, in particular, Batyrev and Tschinkel's generalization of Manin's conjecture.
We compute the rational points on the Atkin-Lehner quotient $X^+_0(125)$ using the quadratic Chabauty method. Our work completes the study of exceptional rational points on the curves $X^+_0(N)$ of genus between 2 and 6. Together with the work of several authors, this completes the proof of a conjecture of Galbraith.
This paper is a follow up of arXiv:1702.02255 [math.NT]. We construct explicitly versal families of elliptic curves with rational points of order 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 respectively.
Let $S \subset ¶^n$ be a smooth quartic hypersurface defined over a number field $K$. If $n \ge 4$, then for some finite extension $K'$ of $K$ the set $S(K')$ of $K'$-rational points of $S$ is Zariski dense.
The number of rational points of a plane non-singular algebraic curve X defined over a finite field is computed, provided that the generic point of X is not an inflexion and that X is Frobenius non-classical with respect to conics.
We establish sharp upper and lower bounds for the number of rational points of bounded anticanonical height on a smooth bihomogeneous threefold defined over Q and of bidegree (1, 2). These bounds are in agreement with Manin's conjecture.
We show that the number of rational points on the fibres of a proper morphism of smooth varieties over a finite field k whose generic fibre has a ``trival'' Chow group of zero cycles is congruent to 1 mod |k|. As a consequence we prove that there is a rational point on any degeneration of a smooth proper rationally chain connected variety over a finite field. We also obtain a generalisation of the Chevalley-Warning theorem.
We study rational points on conic bundles over elliptic curves with positive rank over a number field. We show that the etale Brauer-Manin obstruction is insufficient to explain failures of the Hasse principle for such varieties. We then further consider properties of the distribution of the set of rational points with respect to its image in the rational points of the elliptic curve. In the process, we prove results on a local-to-global principle for torsion points on elliptic curves over $\mathbb{Q}$.
Let C be the image of a canonical embedding C of the Atkin-Lehner quotient X+0(N) associated to the Fricke involution wN. In this note we exhibit some relations among the rational points of C. For each g = 3 (resp. the first g = 4) curve C we found that there are one or more lines (resp. planes) in projectie space whose intersection with C consists entirely of rational Heegner points or the cusp point, where N is prime. We also discuss an explanation of the first non-hyperelliptic exceptional rational point.
We study weak approximation on rationally connected varieties under an assumption of strong approximation for a "simple" variety or under Schinzel's hypothesis. We also get some unconditional results.
We establish the sharp estimate <<_d N^{2/d} for the number of rational points of height at most N on an irreducible projective curve of degree d. We deduce this from a result for general hypersurfaces that is sensitive to the coefficients of the corresponding form.
The distribution of rational points of bounded height on algebraic varieties is far from uniform. Indeed the points tend to accumulate on thin subsets which are images of non-trivial finite morphisms. The problem is to find a way to characterise the points in these thin subsets. The slopes introduced by Jean-Benoît Bost are a useful tool for this problem. These notes will present several cases in which this approach is fruitful. We shall also describe the notion of locally accumulating subvarieties which arises when one considers rational points of bounded height near a fixed rational point.
In this paper we prove a formula for the number of rational points of bounded height relative to all the generators of the cone of effective divisor for a toric variety over a number field.
We prove that when all hyperelliptic curves of genus $n\geq 1$ having a rational Weierstrass point are ordered by height, the average size of the 2-Selmer group of their Jacobians is equal to 3. It follows that (the limsup of) the average rank of the Mordell-Weil group of their Jacobians is at most 3/2. The method of Chabauty can then be used to obtain an effective bound on the number of rational points on most of these hyperelliptic curves; for example, we show that a majority of hyperelliptic curves of genus $n\geq 3$ with a rational Weierstrass point have fewer than 20 rational points.
For a given elliptic curve, its associated $L$-function evaluated at $1$ is closely related to its real period. In this article, we generalize this principle to a rational curve. We count the rational points over all finite fields and use all the counting information to define two $L$-type series. Then we consider special values of these series at $1$. One of the $L$-type series matches the Dirichlet $L$-series of modulo $4$, so the evaluation at $1$ is $π/4$; the special evaluation at $1$ of the other $L$-type series is equal to a real period associated to the rational curve. This identity co…
Let a,b,c,d be nonzero rational numbers whose product is a square, and let V be the diagonal quartic surface in PP^3 defined by ax^4+by^4+cz^4+dw^4=0. We prove that if V contains a rational point that does not lie on any of the 48 lines on V or on any of the coordinate planes, then the set of rational points on V is dense in both the Zariski topology and the real analytic topology.
Let X be a geometrically integral projective cubic hypersurface defined over the rationals, with dimension D and singular locus of dimension at most D-4. For any ε>0, we show that X contains O(B^{D+ε}) rational points of height at most B. The implied constant in this estimate depends upon the choice of εand the coefficients of the cubic form defining X.
We consider smooth projective curves C/$\mathbb{F}$ over a finite field and their symmetric squares $C^{(2)}$. For a global function field $K/\mathbb{F}$, we study the $K$-rational points of $C^{(2)}$. We describe the adelic points of $C^{(2)}$ surviving Frobenius descent and how the $K$-rational points fit there. Our methods also lead to an explicit bound on the number of $K$-rational points of $C^{(2)}$ satisfying an additional condition. Some of our results apply to arbitrary constant subvarieties of abelian varieties, however we produce examples which show that not all of our stronger conc…
We describe a method that allows, under some hypotheses, to compute all the rational points of some genus 5 curves defined over a number field. This method is used to solve some arithmetic problems that remained open.
We prove Manin's conjecture concerning the distribution of rational points of bounded height, and its refinement by Peyre, for wonderful compactifications of semi-simple algebraic groups over number fields. The proof proceeds via the study of the associated height zeta function and its spectral expansion.
I provide a systematic construction of points, defined over finite radical extensions, on any Legendre curve over any field of characteristic not equal two. This includes as special case Douglas Ulmer's construction of rational points over a rational function field in characteristic $p>0$. In particular I show that if $n\geq 4$ is any even integer and not divisible by the characteristic of the field then any elliptic curve $E$ over this field has at least $2n$ rational points over a finite solvable field extension. Under additional hypothesis, when the ground field is a number field, I show th…
We discover suprising connections between three seemingly different problems: finding right triangles with rational sides in a non-Euclidean geometry, finding three integers such that the difference of the squares of any two is a square, and the problem of finding rational points on an algebraic surface in algebraic geometry. We will also reinterpret Euler's work on the second problem with a modern point of view.
Given a variety over a number field, are its rational points potentially dense, i.e., does there exist a finite extension over which rational points are Zariski dense? We study the question of potential density for symmetric products of surfaces. Contrary to the situation for curves, rational points are not necessarily potentially dense on a sufficiently high symmetric product. Our main result is that rational points are potentially dense for the Nth symmetric product of a K3 surface, where N is explicitly determined by the geometry of the surface. The basic construction is that for some N, th…
We resolve Schinzel's Hypothesis (H) for $100\%$ of polynomials of arbitrary degree. We deduce that a positive proportion of diagonal conic bundles over $\mathbb{Q}$ with any given number of degenerate fibres have a rational point, and obtain similar results for generalised Châtelet equations.
Let $X$ be a K3 surface defined over a number field $K$. Assume that $X$ admits a structure of an elliptic fibration or an infinite group of automorphisms. Then there exists a finite extension $K'/K$ such that the set of $K'$-rational points is Zariski dense in $X$.
If $X$ is a projective, geometrically irreducible variety defined over a finite field $\F_q$, such that it is smooth and its Chow group of 0-cycles fulfills base change, i.e. $CH_0(X\times_{\F_q}\bar{\F_q(X)})=\Q$, then the second author's theorem asserts that its number of rational points satisfies $|X(\F_q)| \equiv 1$ modulo $q$. If $X$ is not smooth, this is no longer true. Indeed J. Kollár constructed an example of a rationally connected surface over $\F_q$ without any rational points. Based on the work by Berthelot-Bloch and the second author computing the slope $<1$ piece of rigid cohomo…
In studying rational points on elliptic K3 surfaces of the form $f(t)y^2=g(x)$, where $f,g$ are cubic or quartic polynomials (without repeated roots), we introduce a condition on the quadratic twists of two elliptic curves having simultaneously positive Mordell-Weil rank. We prove a necessary and sufficient condition for the Zariski density of rational points by using this condition, and we relate it to the Hilbert property. Applying to surfaces of Cassels-Schinzel type, we prove unconditionally that rational points are dense both in Zariski topology and in real topology.
We show that the number of non-trivial rational points of height at most $B$, that lie on the cubic surface $x_1x_2x_3=x_4(x_1+x_2+x_3)^2$, has order of magnitude $B(\log B)^6$. This agrees with the Manin conjecture.
In this paper, we study maps between moduli spaces of lattice-polarized K3 surfaces induced by sublattices of prime index. We show that these maps can be used to determine if a rational point of the moduli space belongs to the Noether-Lefschetz locus. As an application, we prove that the Bombieri-Lang conjecture implies non-density statements for the rational points in the Noether-Lefschetz locus, as predicted by a conjecture of Shafarevich.
We provide in this paper an upper bound for the number of rational points on a curve defined over a one variable function field over a finite field. The bound only depends on the curve and the field, but not on the Jacobian variety of the curve.
We prove an asymptotic formula for the number of rational points of bounded height on projective equivariant compactifications of $H\G$, where $H$ is a connected simple algebraic group embedded diagonally into $G := H^n$.
Rational double points are the simplest surface singularities. In this essay we will be mainly concerned with the geometry of the exceptional set corresponding to the resolution of a rational double point. We will derive the classification of rational double points in terms of Dynkin diagrams.
In this paper, we show that the Bäcklund transformations of Painlevé equations come from birational maps of rational surfaces constructed by Okamoto as the spaces of initial conditions. The simultaneous resolutions of rational double points of the families of rational surfaces give rise to flops which are origins of symmetry groups of Painlevé equation. Moreover we point out that Kodaira--Spencer theory of deformations of rational surfaces explains a geomrtric meaning of Painlevé equations.
We discuss the rational points on del Pezzo surface of degree 1 and 2 over any finite field $\mathbb F_q$, and give out the explicit equations of del Pezzo surfaces that have unique rational point.