Sharp bounds for the cubic Parsell-Vinogradov system in two dimensions (Q2411344): Difference between revisions

Fix \(d,s\geq 1\) and \(k\geq 2\). By \({\mathbf x}\) we denote the vector \((x_1,\dots,x_d)\in \mathbb{R}^d\), and by \({\mathbf i}\) we denote the \(d\)-tuple \((i_1,\dots,i_d)\) of non-negative integers. We abbreviate the monomial \(x_1^{i_1}\cdots x_d^{i_d}\) to \({\mathbf x}^{\mathbf i}\). The article under review investigates integer solutions \[ {\mathbf x}_1,{\mathbf x}_2,\dots,{\mathbf x}_s,{\mathbf y}_1,{\mathbf y}_2,\dots,{\mathbf y}_s\tag{1} \] of the system of Diophantine equations \[ \mathbf x_1^{i}+\cdots +{\mathbf x}_s^{\mathbf i}={\mathbf y}_1^{\mathbf i}+\cdots + {\mathbf y}_s^{\mathbf i},\tag{2} \] which is often referred to as the \textit{Parsell-Vinogradov} system. Here, \(0\leq i_1,\ldots,i_d\leq k\) range through all possible integers such that \(1\leq i_1+i_2+\cdots +i_d\leq k\). One of the motivations behind considering this system of Diophantine equations comes from counting rational linear subspaces of a given dimension lying on the hyper-surface defined by \[ c_1z_1^k+\cdots + c_sz_s^k=0. \] By \(J_{s,d,k}(N)\) we denote the number of integer solutions (1) of the system of equations (2) satisfying \(1\leq x_{1,j},\dots,x_{d,j},y_{1,j},\dots,y_{d,j}\leq N\) for each \(1\leq j\leq s\). \textit{S. T. Parsell} et al. [Geom. Funct. Anal. 23, No. 6, 1962--2024 (2013; Zbl 1320.11028)] proved the lower bound \[ J_{s,d,k}(N)\geq N^{sd}+\sum\limits_{j=1}^d N^{(2s-1)j+d-K_{j,k}},\tag{3} \] where \[ K_{j,k}:=\frac{jk}{j+1}\cdot \binom{k+j}{j} \] and the implicit constant depends only on \(s,d\) and \(k\). They also conjectured this lower bound to be an upper bound, up to a factor of \(N^{\varepsilon}\), for arbitrarily small \(\varepsilon>0\). Significant progress towards this conjecture by Parsell, Prendiville and Wooley has been made in the recent years by employing two different types of methods: The \textit{efficient congruencing method} by \textit{T. D. Wooley} [Proc. Int. Congr. Math. (ICM 2014), 505--529 (2014; Zbl 1373.11061)] and an approach called \textit{decoupling}, developed by the first two authors of the article under review [Ann. Math. (2) 182, No. 1, 351--389 (2015; Zbl 1322.42014)]. Decoupling has many important applications in analytic number theory, such as a complete proof of Vinogradov's main conjecture [the first author et al., Ann. Math. (2) 184, No. 2, 633--682 (2016; Zbl 1408.11083)] and new bounds for the Riemann zeta function [the first author, J. Am. Math. Soc. 30, No. 1, 205--224 (2017; Zbl 1352.11065)]. Also the Parsell-Prendiville-Wooley conjecture has been completely settled in dimension \(d=1\) and in the case \(d=k=2\) using decoupling in the above-stated paper by the first two authors and Guth. The article under review solves the problem for \(d=2\), \(k=3\). Apart from decoupling, the method uses \textit{dimension reduction mechanisms} and a result referred to as \textit{parabolic rescaling}.