Hyperbolic reflections on Pell's equation (Q583259): Difference between revisions

It was conjectured by \textit{N. C. Ankeny}, \textit{E. Artin} and \textit{S. Chowla} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 56, 479-493 (1952; Zbl 0049.306)] that the fundamental solution \((x_ 0,y_ 0)\) to the Pellian equation \(x^ 2- py^ 2=-1\) (p a prime congruent to 1 modulo 4) satisfies p \(\nmid y_ 0\). In an attempt to understand the nature of this problem, the author of the paper under review was led to a detailed investigation of certain geometric properties of the surface \(\Gamma^*_ p\setminus {\mathcal H}\) where \({\mathcal H}\) is the upper half-plane and \[ \Gamma^*_ p=\{\left( \begin{matrix} a\\ c\end{matrix} \begin{matrix} b\\ d\end{matrix} \right)\in SL_ 2({\mathbb{Z}}):\quad a\equiv b\equiv 1 (mod p),\quad p | c,\quad p^ 2 | b\}. \] The results of this investigation are briefly outlined by the following statement: there are exactly \(p/\gcd (p,y_ 0)\) reflections of \(\Gamma^*_ p\setminus {\mathcal H}\) with two pointwise fixed lines connecting cusps of \(\Gamma^*_ p\) which are transverse to the image of the \({\mathcal H}\)-line (-\(\sqrt{p},\sqrt{p})\) on \(\Gamma^*_ p\setminus {\mathcal H}\). There are many more and more precise results in the paper describing both the geometry of reflections on \(\Gamma^*_ p\setminus {\mathcal H}\) and their connection with the Pellian equation. It is hoped that further study of the geometry will settle the above conjecture.