Seminar on p-adic Geometry
Seminar: Mo, 10-12h, SR 404, Ernst-Zermelo-Str. 1
Preliminary Meeting 13.02., 14:30, SR 404, Ernst-Zermelo-Str. 1, Please email Abhisehk Oswal, and Ben Snodgrass if you are interested in the seminar but cannot make it to the preliminary meeting.
Teacher: Abhishek Oswal
Assistant: Ben Snodgrass
Language: in English
It has become clear over the last several decades that \(p\)-adic techniques play an indispensable role in arithmetic geometry. At an elementary level, \(p\)-adic numbers provide a compact and convenient language to talk about congruences between integers. Concretely, just as the field of real numbers \(\mathbb R\) arise as the completion of the field \(\mathbb Q\) of rational numbers with respect to the usual notion of distance on \(\mathbb Q\), the field \(\mathbb Q_p\) of \(p\)-adic numbers arise as the completion of \(\mathbb Q\) with respect to an equally natural \(p\)-adic metric. Roughly, in the \(p\)-adic metric, an integer \(n\) is closer to \(0\), the larger the power of the prime number \(p\) that divides it. A general philosophy in number theory is then to treat all these completions \(\mathbb R\), \(\mathbb Q_p\) of the field \(\mathbb Q\) on an equal footing. As we shall see in this course, familiar concepts from real analysis (i.e. notions like analytic functions, derivatives, measures, integrals, Fourier analysis, real and complex manifolds, Lie groups...), have completely parallel notions over the \(p\)-adic numbers.
While the Euclidean topology of \(\mathbb R^n\) is rather well-behaved (so one may talk meaningfully about paths, fundamental groups, analytic continuation, ...), the \(p\)-adic field \(\mathbb Q_p\) on the other hand is totally disconnected. This makes the task of developing a well-behaved notion of global \(p\)-adic analytic manifolds/spaces rather difficult. In the 1970s, John Tate’s introduction of the concept of rigid analytic spaces, solved these problemsand paved the way for several key future developments in \(p\)-adic geometry.
The broad goal of this course will be to introduce ourselves to this world of \(p\)-adic analysis and rigid analytic geometry (due to Tate). Along the way, we shall see a couple of surprising applications of this circle of ideas to geometry and arithmetic. Specifically, we plan to learn Dwork’s proof of the fact that the zeta function of an algebraic variety over a finite field is a rational function.
Field theory, Galois theory and Commutative algebra.
Some willingness to accept unfamiliar concepts as black boxes. Prior experience with algebraic number theory, or algebraic geometry will be beneficial but not necessary.
Elective (Option Area) (2HfB21)
Mathematical Seminar (BSc21)
Compulsory Elective in Mathematics (BSc21)
Supplementary Module in Mathematics (MEd18)
Mathematical Seminar (MSc14)
Elective (MSc14)
Elective (MScData24)
Algebraic Number Theory
Lecture: Di, Do, 12-14h, HS II, Albertstr. 23b
Tutorial: 2 hours, date to be determined
Teacher: Abhishek Oswal
Assistant: Andreas Demleitner
Language: in English
Short description of topics: Number fields, Prime decomposition in Dedekind domains, Ideal class groups, Unit groups, Dirichlet's unit theorem, local fields, valuations, decomposition and inertia groups, introduction to class field theory.
Required: Algebra and Number Theory
Elective (Option Area) (2HfB21)
Compulsory Elective in Mathematics (BSc21)
Mathematical Concentration (MEd18, MEH21)
Pure Mathematics (MSc14)
Mathematics (MSc14)
Concentration Module (MSc14)
Elective (MSc14)
Elective (MScData24)