In this expository article, we describe the recent approach, motivated by ergodic theory, towards detecting arithmetic patterns in the primes, and in particular establishing that the primes contain arbitrarily long arithmetic progressions. One of the driving philosophies is to identify precisely what the obstructions could be that prevent the primes (or any other set) from behaving ``randomly'', and then either show that the obstructions do not actually occur, or else convert the obstructions into usable structural information on the primes.
Let X and Y be curves over a finite field. In this article we explore methods to determine whether there is a rational map from Y to X by considering L-functions of certain covers of X and Y and propose a specific family of covers to address the special case of determining when X and Y are isomorphic. We also discuss an application to factoring polynomials over finite fields.
Let $k$ be a number field, let $X$ be a Kummer variety over $k$, and let $δ$ be an odd integer. In the spirit of a result by Yongqi Liang, we relate the arithmetic of rational points over finite extensions of $k$ to that of zero-cycles over $k$ for $X$. For example, we show that if the Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only obstruction to the existence of rational points on $X$ over all finite extensions of $k$, then the $2$-primary Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only obstruction to the existence of a zero-cycle of degree $δ$ on $X$ over $k$.
Let $k$ be a number field. In the spirit of a result by Yongqi Liang, we relate the arithmetic of rational points over finite extensions of $k$ to that of zero-cycles over $k$ for Kummer varieties over $k$. For example, for any Kummer variety $X$ over $k$, we show that if the Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only obstruction to the Hasse principle for rational points on $X$ over all finite extensions of $k$, then the ($2$-primary) Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only obstruction to the Hasse principle for zero-cycles of any given odd degree on $X$ over $k$. We also obtain similar results for pr…
We establish arithmetic duality theorems for short complexes associated to reductive groups over $p$-adic function fields. Using dualities, we deduce obstructions to weak approximation for certain reductive groups (especially quasi-split ones) and relate this obstruction to an unramified Galois cohomology group.
Let $X$ be a rationally connected algebraic variety, defined over a number field $k$. We find a relation between the arithmetic of rational points on $X$ and the arithmetic of zero-cycles. More precisely, we consider the following statements: (1) the Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only obstruction to weak approximation for $K$-rational points on $X_K$ for all finite extensions $K/k$; (2) the Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only obstruction to weak approximation in some sense that we define for zero-cycles of degree 1 on $X_K$ for all finite extensions $K/k$; (3) a certain sequence of local-gl…
This paper is devoted to the explicit description of the Galois descent obstruction for hyperelliptic curves of arbitrary genus whose reduced automorphism group is cyclic of order coprime to the characteristic of their ground field. Along the way, we obtain an arithmetic criterion for the existence of a hyperelliptic descent. The obstruction is described by the so-called arithmetic dihedral invariants of the curves in question. If it vanishes, then the use of these invariants also allows the explicit determination of a model over the field of moduli; if not, then one obtains a hyperelliptic mo…
We construct families of log K3 surfaces and study the arithmetic of their members. We use this to produce explicit surfaces with an order 5 Brauer-Manin obstruction to the integral Hasse principle.
In this paper we study local-global principles for tori over semi-global fields, which are one variable function fields over complete discretely valued fields. In particular, we show that for principal homogeneous spaces for tori over the underlying discrete valuation ring, the obstruction to a local-global principle with respect to discrete valuations can be computed using methods coming from patching. We give a sufficient condition for the vanishing of the obstruction, as well as examples were the obstruction is nontrivial or even infinite. A major tool is the notion of a flasque resolution …
A few years ago we identified a recursion that works directly with the gaps among the generators in each stage of Eratosthenes sieve. This recursion provides explicit enumerations of sequences of gaps among the generators, which are known as constellations. In this paper, we use those enumerations to estimate the numbers of these constellations that occur as constellations among prime numbers, and we compare these estimates with computational results. We include in our estimates the constellations corresponding to three and four consecutive primes in arithmetic progression. For these initial e…
This is a textbook on arithmetic geometry with special regard to unramified Brauer groups of algebraic varieties. The topics include Galois cohomology, Brauer groups, obstructions to stable rationality, arithmetic and geometry of quadrics, Weil restriction of scalars, algebraic tori, an example of a stably rational non-rational variety, Brauer-Manin obstruction. All material is split into locally trivial problems with detailed hints.
Myriad articles are devoted to Mertens's theorem. In yet another, we merely wish to draw attention to a proof by Hardy, which uses a Tauberian theorem of Landau that "leads to the conclusion in a direct and elegant manner". Hardy's proof is also quite adaptable, and it is readily combined with well-known results from prime number theory. We demonstrate this by proving a version of the theorem for primes in arithmetic progressions with uniformity in the modulus, as well as a non-abelian analogue of this.
Using Felgner's problem I revisit a key issue in using the "Galois Stratification Procedure" that first appeared in [FrS76]. The emphasis here is on using arithmetic homotopy to make the production of Poincare; series attached to general diophantine statements canonical. According to work in progress of Michael Benedikt and E. Hrushovski, Galois stratification - over one finite field - is as efficient as is possible: on a statement of length n, it requires time bounded by a stack of exponentials of length linear in n. This doesn't take advantage of problems prepped for using homotopy aspects, …
