Forms in many variables and differing degrees (Q515325)

The authors generalise the well-known work by \textit{B. J. Birch} [Proc. R. Soc. Lond., Ser. A 265, 245--263 (1962; Zbl 0103.03102)] to a system of forms of differing degrees. To be specific, let \(x:= (x_1,\dots,x_n)\) and let \[ V: f_j(x)= 0\text{ for }1\leq j\leq r \] be the affine algebraic set defined by a system of homogeneous forms \(f_j(x)\) with integral rational coefficients. Assuming that the codimension of ``Birch's singular locus'' of \(V\) is large enough compared to the degrees of the forms \(f_j\), the authors obtain an asymptotic formula, as \(t\to\infty\), for the number of integral points \[ \text{card}\{x|x\in tB\cap V(\mathbb{Z}),\;x= b\pmod M\} \] of \(V\) lying in the dilation of a fixed box \(B\) and subject to the above congruence condition with \(b\in\mathbb{Z}^n\) and \(M\in\mathbb{N}\). As a consequence of their main theorem, somewhat technical to be stated here, they prove that a smooth and geometrically integral variety \(V\) of degree \(d\) and dimension \(m\), defined over \(\mathbb{Q}\), satisfies the Hasse-Minkowski principle, weak approximation, and the Batyrev-Manin conjecture on the number of rational points of bounded height in the strong form suggested by \textit{E. Peyre} [Duke Math. J. 79, No. 1, 101--218 (1995; Zbl 0901.14025)], provided only that \(m\geq 2^d(d- 1)-1\).