English

For which real quadratic fields is Kim's octonary form universal?

Number Theory 2026-06-28 v1

Abstract

Let K=Q(D)K=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{D}) with D>1D>1 squarefree, and let ε+\varepsilon_+ be the totally positive fundamental unit of OK\mathcal{O}_K. B. M. Kim proved in 2000 that the octonary diagonal form f=x12++x42+ε+(x52++x82) f=x_1^2+\cdots+x_4^2+\varepsilon_+(x_5^2+\cdots+x_8^2) is universal over OK\mathcal{O}_K whenever D=n21D=n^2-1 is squarefree. We complete Kim's result to an if-and-only-if classification: ff is universal if and only if D=n21D=n^2-1 for some n2n\ge2, or D=n24D=n^2-4 for some odd n3n\ge3, in both cases subject to squarefreeness. The second family appears to be new in this context and contains Q(5)\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{5}) at n=3n=3 as a degenerate boundary case, recovering Maa{\ss}'s classical exceptional three-square phenomenon. Equivalently, ff is universal over OK\mathcal{O}_K if and only if the Blomer--Kala invariant MDM_D equals 11; for the two stated families we have MD=1M_D=1, so the Blomer--Kala universal 8MD8M_D-variable construction specializes exactly to ff. The converse leverages a continued-fraction involution τ(γ)=ε+γ\tau(\gamma)=\varepsilon_+\gamma' together with a closed formula in convergent coordinates, a three-consecutive-square-values lemma for primitive quadratic polynomials of positive fundamental discriminant, and an even-root exclusion lemma derived from complete-quotient norm bounds.

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Cite

@article{arxiv.2606.29321,
  title  = {For which real quadratic fields is Kim's octonary form universal?},
  author = {Scott Duke Kominers},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2606.29321},
  year   = {2026}
}

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20 pages