On a lattice point problem of L. Moser. I (Q1107572)

The author gives an affirmative answer to the following conjecture of L. Moser: There exists a universal function f(x), tending to \(\infty\) as \(x\to \infty\), such that any convex region in the plane with area x can be placed so as to cover at least \(x+f(x)\) points of the integer lattice. It is proved that one can take \(f(x)=x^{1/9}\) if x is greater than a positive absolute constant. The author indicates that his method in fact yields an exponent \((1/8)-\epsilon\) and that its true magnitude might be about 1/4. The proof makes use of Fourier analysis techniques, a result of \textit{W. M. Schmidt} [Acta Math. 125, 189-201 (1970; Zbl 0205.067)] on simultaneous approximation of real algebraic numbers and a lemma concerning estimates of a certain mean value of chord lengths of a convex region. The proof of this auxiliary result is announced to be contained in the forthcoming part II [Combinatorica 8, No 2, 159-176 (1988)]. It is mentioned that \textit{M. M. Skriganov} [Funkts. Anal. Prilozh. 16, No.4, 88-89 (1982; Zbl 0566.47015)] found that in the case of circular discs and arbitrary lattices of determinant 1 the above covering problem admits \(f(x)=x^{(1/6)-\epsilon}.\)