All Questions
35 questions
22
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Rational points on a sphere in $\mathbb{R}^d$
Call a point of $\mathbb{R}^d$ rational if all its $d$ coordinates are rational numbers.
Q1.
Are the rational points dense on the unit sphere $S :\; x_1^2 +\cdots+ x_d^2 = 1$, i.e. does $S$ ...
- 151k
20
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Rational points on the "quintic circle" $x^5 + y^5 = 7$
I suspect that the curve $x^5 + y^5=7$ has no $\mathbb Q$ points, and a brief computer search verifies this hypothesis for denominators up to $10^4$. What techniques can be used to show that there are ...
- 1,329
17
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Rational points à la Chabauty-Coleman
I have been trying to learn the method of Chabauty and Coleman to find rational points on curves; I have been reading an exposition by McCallum and Poonen which was pointed out to me by Emerton in ...
- 2,827
16
votes
2
answers
503
views
Number of height-limited rational points on a circle
Consider origin-centered circles $C(r)$ of radius $r \le 1$.
I am seeking to learn how many rational points might lie on $C(r)$,
where each rational point coordinate has height $\le h$.
For example, ...
- 151k
16
votes
0
answers
275
views
Why should an abelian variety with few places of bad reduction and a lot of endomorphisms not have many points?
In the paper "Points of Order 13 on Elliptic Curves" by Mazur-Tate, they say in the introduction:
It seemed ... that if such an abelian variety $J$, which has bad reduction at only one ...
- 7,746
13
votes
2
answers
572
views
Existence of points on varieties which avoid a given number field.
Let C be a geometrically integral curve over a number field K and let K' be a number field containing K. Does there exist a number field L containing K such that
$L \cap K' = K$, and
$C(L) \neq \...
- 10.5k
12
votes
2
answers
424
views
Existence of local sections
I would like to know when the property of "having a section" for a morphism of varieties in characteristic $0$ can be detected by spreading out to characteristic $p$.
Take a number field $K$, and let ...
- 121
11
votes
5
answers
4k
views
How much do I need to learn algebraic geometry to understand arithmetics over number fields
I am at the stage of learning. Mostly, I am attracted by algebraic number theory. Roughly speaking, I am interested in the rational points of algebraic varieties. I am little bit afraid to start to ...
- 1,613
11
votes
1
answer
702
views
Galois Representations and Rational Points
Suppose $X$ and $Y$ are two connected smooth projective varieties over $\mathbb{Q}$ (of the same dimension) that have the same $\ell$-adic Galois representations (up to semisimplification). What is ...
- 111
10
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Possible groups of K-rational points for elliptic curves over arbitrary fields
It is known that the group $C(\Bbb R)$ has at most two connected components, and the connected component of the identity is isomorphic to $U(1)$ as a topological group (trivially) and $C(\Bbb Q)$ is ...
- 3,738
10
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What is the smallest sphere whose surface includes 100 integer points?
Let $S(r)$ be the surface of the origin-centered sphere in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
A point is an integer point if all its coordinates are integers.
What is the smallest radius $r_n$ such that $S(r_n)$ ...
- 151k
10
votes
3
answers
683
views
Circles avoiding rational points of height $\le h$
Q. Which origin-centered circles $C(r)$ (or spheres in dimension $d$)
of radius $r < 1$ avoid all rational points
of height $\le h$?
A rational point is a point all of whose coordinates are ...
- 151k
10
votes
0
answers
217
views
Are the nonnegative rationals diophantine with only two quantifiers?
Definition: A subset $D\subseteq \mathbb{Q}$ is diophantine if it is the projection of the zero set of a polynomial, i.e. there exists a polynomial $f\in\mathbb{Q}[X,Y_1,\dots,Y_n]$ for some $n$ such ...
- 2,051
9
votes
2
answers
449
views
Rational points on circular spirals
Is it the case that every unit-radius circular spiral,
$$x = \cos(t)$$
$$y = \sin(t)$$
$$z = c \cdot t$$
for $c \in \mathbb{R}^+$
is dense in rational-coordinate points
(i.e., all three coordinates ...
- 151k
7
votes
1
answer
557
views
Does Chabauty-Coleman method give an algorithm for finding rational points?
Let $X$ be a curve of genus $g\geq 2$ over a number field $K$. If $\mathrm{rk} \,\mathrm{Jac}\, X$ is less than $g$ there is a $p$-adic method of bounding $\# X(K)$ due to Chabauty and Coleman (see ...
- 7,377
7
votes
1
answer
218
views
Subfields of Hilbertian fields
This question is about the Remark on the top of page 22 of Serre's Topics in Galois Theory, available here :
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sohum/ma561/notes/workspace/books/serre_galois_theory.pdf
My ...
- 353
7
votes
1
answer
508
views
What is the exact statement about uniform boundedness of rational points on curves of genus greater than one? Singular points can be unbounded
According to several sources, it is conjectured (or at least believed)
that the rational points of curves over the rationals of genus $g > 1$
are uniformly bounded by $g$. E.g. here p. 1.
Assuming ...
- 25.4k
6
votes
1
answer
185
views
If $X$ is a genus $g\geq 2$ curve over a number field $K$, then is there a bound on $X_L(L)$ for $L/K$ that depends only on $X$ and $[L:K]$?
If $X$ is a genus $g\geq 2$ curve over a number field $K$, then $X(K)$ is finite by Falting's Theorem. My question is how does $X_L(L)$ behave for finite field extensions $L/K$? In particular, is ...
- 2,081
6
votes
0
answers
438
views
Brauer-Manin obstruction to surfaces of Kodaira dimension 1
Roughly speaking, the Kodaira dimension is an invariant of a variety that corresponds to curvature. One can show that curves of genus $\geq 2$ have Kodaira dimension 1 using Riemann-Roch. In Corollary ...
- 998
5
votes
1
answer
825
views
Understanding Siegel's Theorem on integral points
Siegel's theorem states the following:
Let $C$ be a smooth projective curve over a number field $K$. Let $\tilde C\subset C$ be an open affine subvariety, and $i:\tilde C\hookrightarrow \mathbb{A}^...
- 2,081
5
votes
0
answers
303
views
2-descent on elliptic curves, and units modulo squares of units
Setup: Let $p$ be a prime, let $f(x) \in \mathbb{Q}_p[x]$ be a separable monic cubic polynomial cutting out the maximal order $\mathcal{O}_{K_f}$ in the etale algebra $K_f := \mathbb{Q}_p[x]/(f(x))$, ...
5
votes
0
answers
184
views
Given a point $P$ on a genus-$1$ curve over $\mathbb{Q}_p$, is there an $R$ such that $2 \mid [P - R]$ and $x(\overline{P}) \neq x(\overline{R})$?
Let $p \in \mathbb{Z}$ be prime, and let $f \in \mathbb{Z}_p[x]$ be a quartic polynomial with nonzero discriminant. Let $C/\mathbb{Q}_p$ be the genus-$1$ curve with affine equation $y^2 = f(x)$. Let $\...
- 53
4
votes
1
answer
917
views
Does this conic have a rational point?
Consider the conic
$$C = \{X^2+uY^2+vZ^2=0\}\subset\mathbb{P}^2_{\mathbb{Q}(u,v)}$$
over the function field $\mathbb{Q}(u,v)$.
Does $C$ have a $\mathbb{Q}(u,v)$-rational point?
- 8,998
4
votes
1
answer
252
views
Finding the $K=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{6})$-rational points on the twist of $X_{0}(26)$
Let $K=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{6})$. I am looking to determine all $K$-rational points on the curve
$$C: y^{2}=3x^6-24x^5+24x^4-54x^3+24x^2-24x+3.$$
More precisely, $C$ is a twist of the modular curve $X_{0}(...
- 83
3
votes
1
answer
401
views
Rational points of bounded height on a variety
I would like to ask for some clarification on the following argument which I can not quite understand.
There is a variety $X$ of dimension $n$ over a number field with a degree two map $f:X\...
- 8,998
3
votes
0
answers
170
views
Smoothness of height in Manin conjecture
Set up: Let $K$ be a number field. Let $M_K$ be the places of $K$, and define the standard height on $\mathbb{P}^n(K)$ as
$$H([x_0, \cdots, x_n]) = \prod_{v \in M_K} \max\{|x_0|_v, \cdots, |x_n|_v\}$$
...
- 267
2
votes
2
answers
440
views
Rational points on towers of curves
Let $\ldots \to X_n \to X_{n-1} \to \ldots \to X_0$ be etale maps between smooth projective curves of genera $g(X_n)>1$, all defined over a fixed number field $K$. By Faltings' Theorem, we know ...
- 16.2k
2
votes
1
answer
300
views
An example of a geometrically simply connected variety with infinite Brauer group (modulo constants)
$\DeclareMathOperator\Br{Br}$Let $X$ be a smooth, geometrically integral, geometrically simply connected variety over a numberfield $k$. Is it possible to have $\Br(X)/{\Br(k)}$ being an infinite ...
- 177
2
votes
1
answer
261
views
Rational points on a special class of surfaces
Consider a smooth surface of the following form
$$
S = \{f(x,y,t) = p_0(t)x^2+p_1(t)xy+p_2(t)x+p_3(t)y^2+p_4(t)y+p_5(t) = 0\}\subset\mathbb{A}^3
$$
over $\mathbb{Q}$, and set
$$
U_S = \{t' \in \mathbb{...
- 8,998
2
votes
1
answer
187
views
Is every sufficiently general monic quartic rational square infinitely often?
Let $f(x)=x^4+b_3 x^3+ b_2 x^2+b_1 x + b_0$.
Let $g(x)=x^4 f(1/x)$. Let $C : g(x)=y^2$.
$C$ is birationally equivalent to $f(x)=y^2$.
The constant coefficient of $g(x)$ is $1$ since $f$ is monic
and $(...
- 25.4k
2
votes
1
answer
188
views
Criterion for existence of integral points on an elliptic curve
Is there a criterion for the (presumably infinite) set of $D \in \mathbb{Z}\setminus \{0\}$ such that
$$Dy^2 = x^3-1728$$
has an integral point over $\mathbb{Q}$ with $y \neq 0$? I'd also be ...
- 479
2
votes
0
answers
198
views
Finding rational points via birational map
Let $C$ be an affine curve given by $p_C(x,y)=0$ where $$ p_C=2x^3y + 2xy^3 +x^3 + y^3 + 5x^2y + 5xy^2 + 2x^2 + 2y^2 + 2x^2y^2 + 2xy $$
and let $\overline{C}$ denote the projective closure of $C$. For ...
- 21
2
votes
0
answers
107
views
the least point on a variety over a finite field
Let $p$ be a large prime parameter and $V\subseteq \mathbb{P}^n_{\mathbb{F}_p}$ a variety defined over the finite field $\mathbb{F}_p$ with bounded degree and dimension (w.r.t. $p$). Assume that $V$ ...
- 3,362
0
votes
1
answer
199
views
Maximum dimension of a simultaneous anisotropic subspace of quadratic forms over $ \mathbb{Q} $
Let $(V,q )$ be a quadratic space over $ \mathbb{Q} $. A subspace $ U $ is called totally isotropic if $ q(x) = 0 $ for all $ x \in U $ and a subspace $ U $ is called an anisotropic subspace if $ ...
- 923
-1
votes
1
answer
131
views
Does this quadratic system admit an integral or a rational solution?
Let $a,b$ be coprime and say $0<a<b<2a$.
Consider the quadratic system:
$$\alpha\delta-\beta\gamma=1$$
$$(\alpha^2-(\alpha\delta+\beta\gamma))a^2b+\beta^2b^3+(2\alpha\beta-\beta\delta)ab^2-\...
- 13.9k