Caliber number of real quadratic fields (Q710493)

The authors first define the caliber number of a real quadratic number field \(K= \mathbb Q(\sqrt{d})\) with discriminant \(D\), to be the cardinality of the set of reduced primitive binary quadratic forms of discriminant \(D\). Without relying upon any assumptions on the Dedekind zeta-function of \({1\over 2}\), as has been utilized in previous caliber number work, the authors obtain the following results: Lower bounds on the caliber number of real quadratic number fields \(K\) with an assumption that a rational prime \(p\) splits in \(K\); the determination of all real quadratic number fields \(K\) with caliber number 1; the determination of all real quadratic number fields \(K\) with caliber number 2 if \(d\) is not congruent to \(5\bmod 8\). To obtain their results the authors use properties of continued fractions, convergence relations, primitive ideals, the splitting of primes, and zeta-functions. Although the main results of the paper are correct, there are a number of minor errrors, inclusive of the following: the assumption that \(d\) is congruent to \(1\bmod 4\) needs to be added in Corollary 3.4, as otherwise the proof does not work; in the proof of Theorem 2.6, \(p_D(p^\alpha_1)= 2\) for any \(q\) (not \(p_D(p^\alpha_1)= 0\)) in Proposition 3.2: Part 1 the prime 29 should replace the prime 19; in the Introduction the set of primitive binary quadratic forms of discriminant \(D\) should be acted upon by \(\text{SL}_2(\mathbb Z)\) (not \(\text{GL}_2(\mathbb Z)\)).