Representations of integers by an invariant polynomial and unipotent flows (Q860112)

Let \(f\) be an integral homogeneous polynomial of degree \(d\) in \(n\) variables. A basic problem in Diophantine analytic number theory is to understand the behaviour of the integral representations of integers \(m\) by \(f\) as \(m\) tends to infinity. For each \(m\in\mathbb N\) let \(V_m= \{x\in\mathbb R^n: f(x)= m\}\) be the level variety and \(V(Z)= V_m\cap\mathbb Z^n\). In case, where \(V_m\) is non-compact, the number \(\# V_m(Z)\) may be infinite. In this case one asks if there exists an asymptotic density for \(V_m(Z)\) as \(m\to\infty\). For a compact subset \(\Omega\) of \(V_1\), set \(N_m(f,\Omega)= -\# V_m(Z)\cap \mathbb R^+\Omega\), where \(\mathbb R^+\Omega\) is the radical core \(\{x\in V: tx\in\Omega\) for some \(t\in\mathbb R^+\}\). The question studied in this article is if there exists a sequence of number \(\omega_m\), independent of the compact subset \(\Omega\), such that \(N_m(f, \Omega)\sim_{m\to\infty} \omega_m\text{Vol}(\Omega)\). This formulation is basically due to Linnik. The only known general method is the Hardy-Littlewood circle method. However, for this method to work, the number of variables needs to be much larger than the degree of the polynomial in general. In this paper, the focus is on the polynomials that are invariant under an action of a semisimple real algebraic group. In such cases the level varieties admit actions of a semisimple algebraic group, and the dynamics of such groups play a crucial role in understanding this question. In particular, when \(V_1\) is a homogeneous space of a semisimple real algebraic group with the stabilizer being generated by unipotent flows, a well developed theory of unipotent flows on a homogeneous space of a Lie group can be used. The main tool is Ratner's theorem on the uniform distribution of unipotent flows in a form refined by Dani and Margulis.