Léclaté du plan projectif en quatre points dont deux conjuguÉs (Q4827451)

A few years ago \textit{R. de la Bretèche} [Duke Math. J. 113, 421--464 (2002; Zbl 1054.14025)] proved an asymptotic formula for the number of rational points of bounded height on the projective plane blown up at four points in a general position. In this paper, the authors obtain a similar formula in the more difficult case of the projective plane blown up at four points, two of which lie in the field \(\mathbb Q(\sqrt{-1})\) and are complex conjugate. In the nineties, formulae of that type were predicted, and in many cases actually proved, by Yu. I. Manin and his collaborators [see, for instance, \textit{E. Peyre}, Sémin. Bourbaki 53ème année, 2000/2001, Exp. No. 891, Astérisque 282, 323--344 (2002; Zbl 1039.11045) and references therein]. To be specific, let \[ \| x\|:=\max\{X_1X_2^{1/2},X_1^{1/2}X_2, (X_1X_2)^{1/2} |x_1 -x_2|\}, \] where \(X_j = x^2_i + x^2_k\) for \(\{i,j,k\} = \{1,2,3\}\). Let us define the six polynomials \[ T_j(\vec x) = x_j(x_1x_2 + x^2_3),\quad T_{j+3}(\vec x) = x_jx_3(x_1 -x_2), \quad 1\leq j\leq 3, \] and let \(d(x) := \text{h.c.f.}(T_1(\vec x),\dots,T_6(\vec x))\) for \(\vec x\in \mathbb Z^3\). Let \(N(B)\) denote the number of those lattice points \(\vec x\) in \(\mathbb Z^3\), for which \(x_3(x_1 -x_2)\neq 0\), \(\text{h.c.f.}(x_1,x_2,x_3) = 1\), and \(\| x\|\leq Bd(x)\). The authors prove that \[ N(B) = CB\log B^3(1+O((\log \log B)^{-1})\text{ as }B\to \infty, \] with an explicitly evaluated constant \(C\). In the course of their rather elaborate, albeit completely elementary, considerations, the authors make use of the results of \textit{H. Davenport} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 26, 179--183 (1951; Zbl 0042.27504)], on the number of lattice points in semi-algebraic subsets of \(\mathbb R^n\).