This expository article covers the recent developments surrounding Hilbert's tenth problem for finitely generated rings. We start by recounting the history of Hilbert's tenth problem over the integers, which was resolved negatively by Matiyasevich--Robinson--Davis--Putnam in 1970. In order to pass from $\mathbb{Z}$ to the finitely generated setting, we explain a criterion of Poonen that connects this to a problem in the theory of elliptic curves. Finally, we outline the main ideas behind the recent resolution of this elliptic curve problem by the authors.
Descent via an isogeny on an elliptic curve is used to construct two subrings of the field of rational numbers, which are complementary in a strong sense, and for which Hilbert's Tenth Problem is undecidable. This method further develops that of Poonen, who used elliptic divisibility sequences to obtain undecidability results for some large subrings of the rational numbers.
For a positive proportion of primes $p$ and $q$, we prove that $\mathbb{Z}$ is Diophantine in the ring of integers of $\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt[3]{p},\sqrt{-q})$. This provides a new and explicit infinite family of number fields $K$ such that Hilbert's tenth problem for $O_K$ is unsolvable. Our methods use Iwasawa theory and congruences of Heegner points in order to obtain suitable rank stability properties for elliptic curves.
In this article we outline the methods that are used to prove undecidability of Hilbert's Tenth Problem for function fields of characteristic zero. Following Denef we show how rank one elliptic curves can be used to prove undecidability for rational function fields over formally real fields. We also sketch the undecidability proofs for function fields of varieties over the complex numbers of dimension at least 2.
We give the first examples of infinite sets of primes S such that Hilbert's Tenth Problem over Z[S^{-1}] has a negative answer. In fact, we can take S to be a density 1 set of primes. We show also that for some such S there is a punctured elliptic curve E' over Z[S^{-1}] such that the topological closure of E'(Z[S^{-1}]) in E'(R) has infinitely many connected components.
Let K be a field with a valuation satisfying the following conditions: both K and the residue field k have characteristic zero; the value group is not 2-divisible; there exists a maximal subfield F in the valuation ring such that Gal(\bar{F}/F) and Gal(\bar{k}/k) have the same 2-cohomological dimension and this dimension is finite. Then Hilbert's Tenth Problem has a negative answer for any function field of a variety over K. In particular, this result proves undecidability for varieties over C((T)).
For a ring R, Hilbert's Tenth Problem HTP(R) is the set of polynomial equations over R, in several variables, with solutions in R. We consider computability of this set for subrings R of the rationals. Applying Baire category theory to these subrings, which naturally form a topological space, relates their sets HTP(R) to the set HTP($\mathbb{Q}$), whose decidability remains an open question. The main result is that, for an arbitrary set C, HTP($\mathbb{Q}$) computes C if and only if the subrings R for which HTP(R) computes C form a nonmeager class. Similar results hold for 1-reducibility, for …
Let K be a p-adic field (a finite extension of some Q_p) and let K(t) be the field of rational functions over K. We define a kind of quadratic reciprocity symbol for polynomials over K and apply it to prove isotropy for a certain class of quadratic forms over K(t). Using this result, we give an existential definition for the predicate "v_t(x) >= 0" in K(t). This implies undecidability of diophantine equations over K(t).
We prove that the existential theory of any function field $K$ of characteristic $p> 0$ is undecidable in the language of rings provided that the constant field does not contain the algebraic closure of a finite field. We also extend the undecidability proof for function fields of higher transcendence degree to characteristic 2 and show that the first-order theory of {\bf any} function field of positive characteristic is undecidable in the language of rings without parameters.
We show that Hilbert's Tenth Problem is undecidable for complementary subrings of number fields and that the p-adic and archimedean ring versions of Mazur's conjectures do not hold in these rings. More specifically, given a number field K, a positive integer t>1, and t nonnegative computable real numbers delta_1,..., delta_t whose sum is one, we prove that the nonarchimedean primes of K can be partitioned into t disjoint recursive subsets S_1,..., S_t of densities delta_1,..., delta_t, respectively such that Hilbert's Tenth Problem is undecidable for each corresponding ring O_{K,S_i}. We also …
Let K be the function field of a variety of dimension at least 2 over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. Then Hilbert's Tenth Problem for K is undecidable. This generalizes the result by Kim and Roush from 1992 that Hilbert's Tenth Problem for the purely transcendental function field C(t_1,t_2) is undecidable.
Let k be a subfield of a p-adic field of odd residue characteristic, and let L be the function field of a variety of dimension n >= 1 over k. Then Hilbert's Tenth Problem for L is undecidable. In particular, Hilbert's Tenth Problem for function fields of varieties over number fields of dimension >= 1 is undecidable.
Hilbert's Tenth Problem over the field $\mathbb Q$ of rational numbers is one of the biggest open problems in the area of undecidability in number theory. In this paper we construct new, computably presentable subrings $R$ of $\mathbb Q$ having the property that Hilbert's Tenth Problem for $R$, denoted $HTP(R)$, is Turing equivalent to $HTP(\mathbb Q)$. We are able to put several additional constraints on the rings $R$ that we construct. Given any computable nonnegative real number $r \leq 1$ we construct such a ring $R = Z[\frac1p : p \in S]$ with $S$ a set of primes of lower density $r$. We …
Let K be an algebraic function field of characteristic 2 with constant field C_K. Let C be the algebraic closure of a finite field in K. Assume that C has an extension of degree 2. Assume that there are elements u,x of K with u transcendental over C_K and x algebraic over C(u) and such that K=C_K(u,x). Then Hilbert's Tenth Problem over K is undecidable. Together with Shlapentokh's result for odd characteristic this implies that Hilbert's Tenth Problem for any such field K of finite characteristic is undecidable. In particular, Hilbert's Tenth Problem for any algebraic function field with finit…
This paper explores undecidability in theories of positive characteristic function fields in the "geometric" language of rings $\mathcal{L}_F = \{0, 1, +, \cdot, F\}$, with a unary predicate $F$ for nonconstant elements. In particular we are motivated by a question of Fehm on the decidability of $\mbox{Th}_{\exists}(\mathbb{F}_p(t); \mathcal{L}_F)$; equivalently, that of $\mbox{Th}_{\exists}(\mathbb{F}_p(t); \mathcal{L}_r)$ without parameters. We indicate how to generalise existing machinery to prove the undecidability of $\mbox{Th}_{\forall^1\exists}(K; \mathcal{L}_F)$ without parameters, whe…
For a ring $R$, Hilbert's Tenth Problem $HTP(R)$ is the set of polynomial equations over $R$, in several variables, with solutions in $R$. We view $HTP$ as an operator, mapping each set $W$ of prime numbers to $HTP(\mathbb Z[W^{-1}])$, which is naturally viewed as a set of polynomials in $\mathbb Z[X_1,X_2,\ldots]$. For $W=\emptyset$, it is a famous result of Matiyasevich, Davis, Putnam, and Robinson that the jump $\emptyset~\!'$ is Turing-equivalent to $HTP(\mathbb Z)$. More generally, $HTP(\mathbb Z[W^{-1}])$ is always Turing-reducible to $W'$, but not necessarily equivalent. We show here th…
We employ quantum mechanical principles in the computability exploration of the class of classically noncomputable Hilbert's tenth problem which is equivalent to the Turing halting problem in Computer Science. The Quantum Adiabatic Theorem enables us to establish a connection between the solution for this class of problems and the asymptotic behaviour of solutions of a particular type of time-dependent Schrödinger equations. We then present some preliminary numerical simulation results for the quantum adiabatic processes corresponding to various Diophantine equations.
Hilbert's Tenth Problem (HTP) asks for an algorithm to test whether an arbitrary polynomial Diophantine equation with integer coefficients has solutions over the ring $\mathbb Z$ of the integers. This was finally solved by Matiyasevich negatively in 1970. In this paper we obtain some further results on HTP over $\mathbb Z$. We prove that there is no algorithm to determine for any $P(z_1,\ldots,z_9)\in\mathbb Z[z_1,\ldots,z_9]$ whether the equation $P(z_1,\ldots,z_9)=0$ has integral solutions with $z_9\ge0$. Consequently, there is no algorithm to test whether an arbitrary polynomial Diophantine…
In this paper we investigate the 2-Selmer rank in families of quadratic twists of elliptic curves over arbitrary number fields. We give sufficient conditions on an elliptic curve so that it has twists of arbitrary 2-Selmer rank, and we give lower bounds for the number of twists (with bounded conductor) that have a given 2-Selmer rank. As a consequence, under appropriate hypotheses we can find many twists with trivial Mordell-Weil group, and (assuming the Shafarevich-Tate conjecture) many others with infinite cyclic Mordell-Weil group. Using work of Poonen and Shlapentokh, it follows from our r…
We explore in the framework of Quantum Computation the notion of {\em Computability}, which holds a central position in Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science. A quantum algorithm for Hilbert's tenth problem, which is equivalent to the Turing halting problem and is known to be mathematically noncomputable, is proposed where quantum continuous variables and quantum adiabatic evolution are employed. If this algorithm could be physically implemented, as much as it is valid in principle--that is, if certain hamiltonian and its ground state can be physically constructed according to the propo…
Let F and K be number fields, with F contained in K. and let O_F and O_K be their rings of integers. If there exists an elliptic curve E over F such that E(F) and E(K) have rank 1, then there exists a diophantine definition of O_F over O_K.
We prove that Hilbert's Tenth Problem for a ring of integers in a number field K has a negative answer if K satisfies two arithmetical conditions (existence of a so-called division-ample set of integers and of an elliptic curve of rank one over K). We relate division-ample sets to arithmetic of abelian varieties.
We prove that amongst all real quadratic fields and all spaces of Hilbert modular forms of full level and of weight $2$ or greater, the product of two Hecke eigenforms is not a Hecke eigenform except for finitely many real quadratic fields and finitely many weights. We show that for $\mathbb Q(\sqrt 5)$ there are exactly two such identities.
For any power series $a(t)$ with exponentially bounded nonnegative integer coefficients we suggest a simple construction of a finitely generated monomial associative algebra $R$ with Hilbert series $H(R,t)$ very close to $a(t)$. If $a(t)$ is rational/algebraic/transcendental, then the same is $H(R,t)$. If the growth of the coefficients of $a(t)$ is polynomial, in the same way we construct a graded algebra $R$ preserving the polynomial growth of the coefficients of its Hilbert series $H(R,t)$. Applying a classical result of Fatou from 1906 we obtain that if a finitely generated graded algebra $…
One of the main open problems regarding decidability of the existential theory of rings is the analogue of Hilbert's Tenth Problem (HTP) for the ring of entire holomorphic functions in one variable. In the direction of a negative solution, we prove unsolvability of HTP for rings of exponential polynomials. This provides the first known case of HTP for a ring of entire holomorphic functions in one variable strictly containing the polynomials. The technique of proof consists of an interaction between Arithmetic, Analysis, Logic, and Functional Transcendence.
Every nontrivial abelian variety over a Hilbertian field in which the weak Mordell-Weil theorem holds admits infinitely many torsors with period any $n > 1$ which is not divisible by the characteristic. The corresponding statement with "period" replaced by "index" is plausible but much more challenging. We show that for every infinite, finitely generated field $K$, there is an elliptic curve $E_{/K}$ which admits infinitely many torsors with index any $n > 1$.
