Related papers: Explicit Brauer-Manin obstructions on plane quarti…

One of the general problems in algebraic geometry is to determine algorithmically whether or not a given geometric object, defined by explicit polynomial equations (e.g. a curve or a surface), satisfies a given property (e.g. has…

We revisit the abstract framework underlying the fibration method for producing rational points on the total space of fibrations over the projective line. By fine-tuning its dependence on external arithmetic conjectures, we render the…

We describe an algorithm that determines a set of unramified covers of a given hyperelliptic curve, with the property that any rational point will lift to one of the covers. In particular, if the algorithm returns an empty set, then the…

We show how for every integer n one can explicitly construct n distinct plane quartics and one hyperelliptic curve over the complex numbers all of whose Jacobians are isomorphic to one another as abelian varieties without polarization. When…

We characterise, in terms of Dixmier-Ohno invariants, the types of singularities that a plane quartic curve can have. We then use these results to obtain new criteria for determining the stable reduction types of non-hyperelliptic curves of…

A curve over a field k is pointless if it has no k-rational points. We show that there exist pointless genus-3 hyperelliptic curves over a finite field F_q if and only if q < 26, that there exist pointless smooth plane quartics over F_q if…

We explain how to determine the semistable reduction of a particular plane quartic curve at $p=3$ that appears in the attempts of Rouse, Sutherland, and Zureick-Brown to compute the rational points on the non-split Cartan modular curve…

We give a conjectural characterisation of the stable reduction of plane quartics over local fields in terms of their Cayley octads. This results in p-adic criteria that efficiently give the stable reduction type amongst the 42 possible…

An ordinary plane of a finite set of points in real 3-space with no three collinear is a plane intersecting the set in exactly three points. We prove a structure theorem for sets of points spanning few ordinary planes. Our proof relies on…

We construct a finite subgroup of Brauer-Manin obstruction for detecting the existence of integral points on integral models of homogeneous spaces of linear algebraic groups of multiplicative type. As application, the strong approximation…

Given a curve X of the form y^p = h(x) over a number field, one can use descents to obtain explicit bounds on the Mordell-Weil rank of the Jacobian or to prove that the curve has no rational points. We show how, having performed such a…

We consider the Brauer-Manin obstruction to the existence of integral points on affine surfaces defined by $x^2 - ay^2 = P(t)$ over a number field. We enumerate the possibilities for the Brauer groups of certain families of such surfaces,…

Let k be a number field and X a smooth projective k-variety. In this paper, we study the information obtainable from descent via torsors under finite k-group schemes on the location of the k-rational points on X within the adelic points.…

The purpose of this article is twofold. On the one hand, we prove asymptotic formulas for the quantitative distribution of rational points on any smooth non-split projective quadratic surface. We obtain the optimal error term for the real…

These notes are intended as an easy-to-read supplement to part of the background material presented in my talks on enumerative geometry. In particular, the numbers $n_3$ and $n_4$ of plane rational cubics through eight points and of plane…

For any pencil of conics or higher-dimensional quadrics over the rationals, with all degenerate fibres defined over the rationals, we show that the Brauer-Manin obstruction controls weak approximation. The proof is based on the Hasse…

We present the technique of parametrization of plane algebraic curves from a number theorist's point of view and present Kapferer's simple and beautiful (but little known) proof that nonsingular curves of degree > 2 cannot be parametrized…

We prove upper bounds for the number of rational points on non-singular cubic curves defined over the rationals. The bounds are uniform in the curve and involve the rank of the corresponding Jacobian. The method used in the proof is a…

For an imaginary quadratic field $k$ of class number $>1$, we prove that there are only finitely many isomorphism classes of rational indefinite quaternion division algebras $B$ such that the associated Shimura curve $M^B$ has $k$-rational…

Let X be a smooth quartic surface not containing lines, defined over a number field K. We prove that there are only finitely many bitangents to X which are defined over K. This result can be interpreted as saying that a certain surface,…