Class numbers of quadratic function fields and continued fractions (Q1185818)

This is the published version of the author's 1986 master degree thesis, the original of which was in Spanish. The work is well motivated and clearly explained. The main result is a generalization of Hirzebruch's theorem, i.e. a formula which expresses the class number of an imaginary quadratic field \(F_ p(x)(\sqrt{gD})\) in terms of the continued fraction expansion of \(\sqrt D\), the real quadratic \(F_ p(x)(\sqrt D)\) should have class number one, where \(p\) is an odd prime, \(g\) a fixed generator of \(F_ p^*\) and \(D\in F_ p[x]\) is monic and of even degree. The techniques are based upon the reduction theory of binary quadratic forms and E. Artin's continued fractions for real quadratic function fields over finite fields. While emphasizing Shintani's ideas for the evaluation of partial zeta functions as well as these continued fractions, \textit{D. Hayes} [Number Theory, Proc. Conf., Montreal/Can. 1985, CMS Conf. Proc. 7, 203-236 (1987; Zbl 0664.12011)], has obtained mildly stronger results. There is a remark to this effect in the present paper and one presumes these to be independent pieces of work. This work may be of interest to a fairly large readership due to the fact that it is taking a field theoretic (and emminently computable) approach to certain questions about Jacobians of hyperelliptic curves over finite fields.