On simultaneous representations of primes by binary quadratic forms (Q798689): Difference between revisions

In 1825 Gauss announced two criteria for determining whether 2 is a quartic residue modulo a prime \(p\equiv 1 (mod 8):\) set \(p=(4A+1)^ 2+8B^ 2=X^ 2+16Y^ 2,\) then \(A\equiv Y (mod 2)\) and 2 is a quartic residue modulo p if and only if A and Y are both even. In 1860 in [J. Reine Angew. Math. 57, 187-188 (1860)] \textit{P. G. L. Dirichlet} gave a very simple proof of Gauss's criteria. In this delightful paper, the author adapts Dirichlet's technique to several other situations in which a prime p is represented by positive definite binary quadratic forms of different discriminants. Using nothing deeper than the theory of quadratic reciprocity and the theory of binary quadratic forms, he obtains a number of elegant results. One example will serve to illustrate these: Let \(p=M^ 2+7N^ 2\equiv\pm 1 (mod 8)\) be a prime. Choose the sign of whichever of M and N is odd so that it is congruent to 1 (mod 4), in which case \(2p+M+N\equiv 3 (mod 4).\) Then \(p=A^ 2+14B^ 2\) is solvable if \(2p+M+N\equiv 3 (mod 8),\quad p=7C^ 2+2D^ 2\) is solvable if \(2p+M+N\equiv 7 (mod 8).\) In Acta Arith. 44, 407-413 (1984), \textit{P. Kaplan, Y. Yamamoto} and the reviewer have generalized and extended the author's results using class field theory.