Linear Spaces on Cubic Hypersurfaces, and Pairs of Homogeneous Cubic Equations (Q4399262)

This elegant paper uses elementary techniques to investigate the existence of rational linear spaces in cubic hypersurfaces, and simultaneous rational zeros of pairs of cubic forms. For any field \(K\), let \(g_K(m)\) be the least integer (if any exists) such that any cubic form over \(K\), in \(s> g_K (m)\) variables, vanishes on some linear subspace of \(K^s\), of projective dimension \(m\). Results for an arbitrary field \(K\) are established. In the case when \(K\) is an algebraic extension of \(\mathbb{Q}_p\), it is shown that \[ g_K(m) \leq \textstyle{{1\over 2}} (5m^2+ 21m+ \delta_m), \] where \(\delta_m\) is 18 for even \(m\), and 22 for odd \(m\). Even for \(K=\mathbb{Q}_p\) this improves on the previous best result, due to \textit{D. J. Lewis} and \textit{R. Schulze-Pillot} [Montash. Math. 97, 277-285 (1984; Zbl 0546.10018)], in which the leading term was \(3m^2\). For the case in which \(K\) is an algebraic extension of \(\mathbb{Q}\) one has \[ g_K (m) \leq\textstyle {{1\over 2}} (5m^2+ 37m+30). \] Here, for \(K=\mathbb{Q}\), the previous best result was the estimate \(g_K(m) \ll(m+1)^{(5+\sqrt {17})/2}\), also due to Lewis and Schulze-Pillot [loc. cit.]. Now let \(G_K\) be the least integer (if any exists) such that any pair of cubic forms over \(K\), in \(s>G_K\) variables, have a common zero in \(K\). Then it is shown that \(G_K\leq 308\) if \(K\) is an algebraic extension of \(\mathbb{Q}_p\), improving on the previous bound 320, for \(K=\mathbb{Q}_p\), due to \textit{D. Leep} and \textit{W. M. Schmidt} [Invent. Math. 71, 539-549 (1983; Zbl 0504.10010)]. When \(K\) is an algebraic extension of \(\mathbb{Q}\) one has \(G_K\leq 855\). This again improves on the previous best even in the case \(K=\mathbb{Q}\), which was 5139, due to \textit{W. M. Schmidt} [Monatsh. Math. 93, 329-348 (1982; Zbl 0481.10015)]. The proofs are based on a technique for finding a linear space of solutions over \(K\), given such a linear space over a quadratic extension \(K(\sqrt d)\).