View Proposal #372
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| ID | 372 |
|---|---|
| First Name | Christian |
| Last Name | Roettger |
| Institution | Iowa State University |
| Speaker Category | faculty |
| Title of Talk | Geometric distribution of primes in Z[sqrt(2)] |
| Abstract | It all starts with the question: what can we say about integers a, b such that a^2 - 2b^2 is a prime? We will show some ways to make this question more precise - in particular, we study the distribution of the corresponding points (a,b) in the plane. The fundamental tool is the ring Z[sqrt(2)], and from there we make connections to analytic number theory (L-functions, Hecke characters) which arise very naturally - this is the context where Hecke invented 'Hecke characters', and they are much easier to understand here than when you read about them in MathWorld. |
| Subject area(s) | Number Theory, Diophantine Geometry, L-functions |
| Suitable for undergraduates? | Y |
| Day Preference | none |
| Computer Needed? | N |
| Bringing a laptop? | Y |
| Overhead Needed? | |
| Software requests | |
| Special Needs | |
| Date Submitted | 10/02/2013 |
| Year | 2013 |