Linear spaces on hypersurfaces over number fields (Q1687994)

This article studies the number of rational linear subspaces of bounded height on a large class of complete intersections in projective space over a number field of sufficiently large dimension. In earlier work [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 108, No. 4, 809--835 (2014; Zbl 1372.11047); J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 92, No. 2, 393--410 (2015; Zbl 1378.11087)], the author established a Hasse principle for the case of rational numbers. The problem of studying \(0\)-dimensional projective linear subspaces reduces to the one of counting rational points on complete intersections of bounded height. This problem has been studied by Birch for very general complete intersections of sufficiently large dimension and been generalized to the number field setting by \textit{C. M. Skinner} [Compos. Math. 106, No. 1, 11--29 (1997; Zbl 0892.11014)] and further been generalized to intersections of forms of differing degrees by \textit{T. Browning} and \textit{R. Heath-Brown} for the rational numbers [J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 19, No. 2, 357--394 (2017; Zbl 1383.11039)] and \textit{C. Frei} and \textit{M. Madritsch} [Mathematika 63, No. 1, 92--123 (2017; Zbl 1388.11036)] for the case of a general number field. To formulate the main result, the author introduces the following notation. Let \(K\) be a number field of degree \(n\) over the rationals with ring of integers \(\mathcal{O}_K\) and integral basis \(\omega_1,\ldots, \omega_n\). Introduce the box \[\mathcal{B} = \{ x \in K,\ x=u_1\omega_1+\ldots + u_n\omega_n,\ u_i\in [-1,1]\}\] and let \(F^{(i)}\in K[x_1,\ldots, x_s]\), \(1\leq i\leq R\) be homogeneous forms of degree \(d\geq 2\). Write \(r=\binom{d-1+m}{d}\). For a natural number \(m\) define the counting function \(N_m(P)\) to be equal to the number of \(m\)-tuples \(\mathbf{x}_1,\ldots, \mathbf{x}_m\in (\mathcal{O} \cap P \mathcal{B})^s\) such that \[F^{(i)} \left(\sum_{j=1}^m t_j \mathbf{x}_j\right)=0, \quad 1\leq i\leq R\] holds identically in \(t_1,\ldots, t_m\). Under the assumption that \[ s- \dim \operatorname{Sing} \mathbf{F} > 2^{d-1} (d-1) Rr(R+1) \] the author establishes an asymptotic formula for the counting function \(N_m(P)\) of the form \[N_m(P)= P^{n(ms-rd)} \left( c+O(P^{-\delta })\right),\] where \(c\geq 0\) can be expressed as a product of local densities and \(\delta >0\). Here, \(\dim \operatorname{Sing}\mathbf{F} \) is related to controlling the size of the singular locus of the complete intersection \(F^{(i)}=0\), \(1\leq i\leq R\). In order to establish the existence of \(m\)-dimensional linear subspaces one hence wishes to understand when the leading constant \(c\) is positive. For this part, the author uses results from literature see, e.g., work of \textit{T. D. Wooley} [Compos. Math. 111, No. 2, 149--165 (1998; Zbl 0892.11011)] to deduce the positivity of \(c\), as soon as \(s - \dim \operatorname{Sing} \mathbf{F}\) is sufficiently large in terms of \(d,m\) and \(R\) and under the assumption that either \(d\) is odd or the number field \(K\) is totally imaginary. A very nice corollary of this result is an application to the unirationality of certain hypersurfaces of sufficiently large dimension over number fields. This uses a result of \textit{J. Harris} et al. [Duke Math. J. 95, No. 1, 125--160 (1998; Zbl 0991.14018)] who proved that a smooth hypersurface is unirational over \(K\) as soon as it contains a \(K\)-rational linear subspace which is sufficiently large depending on the degree of the hypersurface.