Computational and algorithmic approaches to the local-global problem for quadratic lattices | Department of Mathematics

Computational and algorithmic approaches to the local-global problem for quadratic lattices

Event Information
Event Location: 
ZOOM
Event Date: 
Friday, March 26, 2021 - 1:00pm

Abstract: One classically vexing question of number theory is the representation problem, which asks for a systematic way to determine the set of integer solutions to a polynomial with rational coefficients. If we ask, instead, for rational solutions, then Hasse's celebrated local-global principle gives a finite process for finding the solutions of such a polynomial. Unfortunately, it is well known that there is no direct integral analogue to Hasse's local-global principle for lattices. An integral lattice which satisfies a local-global principle (that is, a lattice that represents everything globally which is represented locally at every prime) is called regular. Extending this notion of regularity introduced by Dickson in 1939, a positive definite ternary integral quadratic form is said to be spinor regular if it represents all the positive integers represented by its spinor genus (that is, all positive integers represented by any form in its spinor genus). Since the 1990s, there have been several efforts to bring computational methods to bear on these types of questions. In 1991 Nipp published his computer generated tables of quaternary quadratic forms. In 1994 Jagy conducted an extensive computer search for primitive ternary quadratic forms that are spinor regular, but not regular, resulting in a list of 29 such forms. In this talk, I will discuss joint work with A. G. Earnest in which we apply algorithmic methods and the L-functions and Modular Forms Database to verify the completeness of Jagy's list and say some other interesting things about lattices.