Sommes de Gauss attachées aux caractères quadratiques: une conjecture de Pierre Conner. (Gauss sums attached to quadratic characters: a conjecture of Pierre Conner) (Q1262344)

Let p be a prime and let K be a finite extension of \({\mathbb{Q}}_ p\), the p-adic number field. Let v be the (normalized) discrete valuation of K, \({\mathcal O}_ K\) the valuation ring, \(U=O^*_ K\) the group of units of \({\mathcal O}_ K\) and for all \(i\in N\), let \(\{U_ i\}\) be the fundamental system of neighborhoods of 1 defined by \(U_ i=\{x\in K|\) \(v(x-1)\geq i\}\) \((U_ 0=U)\). For a character \(\chi\) of \(K^*\), i.e. a continuous homomorphism from \(K^*\) into \(S^ 1=\{z\in {\mathbb{C}} | | z| =1\}\) let \(f=f(\chi)=\inf \{i\geq 0| \chi (U_ i)=1\}\) be its conductor and to such a \(\chi\) we associate a complex number in \(S^ 1:\) \[ W(\chi)=q^{-f/2}\sum_{\chi \in U/U_ f}\chi (d^{-1}x)^{- 1}\psi_ K(d^{-1}x), \] where q is the cardinality of the residue field of \({\mathcal O}_ K\), d is a generator of \({\mathcal M}^ f{\mathcal D}_ K\) (\({\mathcal M}\) is the maximal ideal of \({\mathcal O}_ K\) and \({\mathcal D}_ K\) the different of \(K/{\mathbb{Q}}_ p)\) and \(\psi\) is the additive character of K. If \(\chi\) is a quadratic character (i.e. \(\chi^ 2=1)\), then it is of the form \(x \to (-1)^{(a,x)}=\rho_ a(x),\) say, where \((a,x)\in {\mathbb{Z}}/2\) is the Hilbert symbol of \(K^*\). It follows that \(W(\rho_ a)\) is a fourth root of unity, and hence that, on defining \(W(\rho_ a)=i^{4w(a)}\), w is a quadratic function of \(K^*/K^{*2}\) into \((1/4){\mathbb{Z}}/{\mathbb{Z}}\subset {\mathbb{Q}}_ 2/{\mathbb{Z}}_ 2.\) Following Conner, one associates to it a Gauss sum ``à la Weil'' \(\gamma\) (w) defined by \[ \overline{\gamma(w)}=(K^*: K^{*2})^{- 1/2}\sum_{a\in K^*/K^{*2}}W(\rho_ a), \] the right-hand side member being an eighth root of unity. The author gives two proofs, one global, due to Conner and the other local, due to the author, of Conner's conjecture that \(\gamma\) (w) is a Gauss sum attached to a certain quadratic form: Theorem 1. \(\gamma(w)=\gamma(Q_ K)\), where \(Q_ K\) is a quadratic form over \({\mathbb{Q}}_ p\) defined by \(x\to Tr_{K/{\mathbb{Q}}_ p}x^ 2\) \((x\in K).\) Further, let \(X_ n=X_ n(K)\) be the character group of K of order n, which is the dual of \(A_ n=K^*/K^{*n}\). With both \(X_ n\) and \(A_ n\) are provided the Haar measure with equal total volume. For the Fourier transform of W defined by \[ \hat W(x)=| X_ n|^{- 1/2}\sum_{\rho \in X_ n}W(\rho)\rho(x)= | A_ n|^{- 1/2}\sum_{a\in A_ n}W(\rho_ a)(-1)^{(a,x)}, \] it is shown in the case \(n=2\) that \(\hat W(x)=\overline{\gamma (x)}\) for all \(x\in A=A_ 2\), and for the moderate case \((n,p)=1\), \(\hat W(a)\) is explicitly calculated. See also the following review.