Cyclotomy and quadratic forms in the arithmetical work of Augustin-Louis Cauchy's (1829--1840)

It is recognized in the historical literature that Cauchy did work relating to reciprocity laws and the theory of algebraic numbers that was similar to that of Gauss, Jacobi and Dirichlet, though it has been regarded as not coherent or, at least, as difficult to read. This paper does the service of piecing together a coherent account of at least one thread from the many arithmetical publications and presentations made by Cauchy between 1829 and 1840. The aim is to show that they contain reasonably consistent results relating to quadratic forms \(4p^\mu = x^2 + ny^2\), where \(p\) is a prime and \(n\) a divisor of \(p -1\). In a historiographical note, the author explains why Cauchy's text cannot be analyzed in a linear fashion. Instead, a collation is made between Cauchy's principal work on the subject and his various notes that appeared during this period. Light is shed on several aspects of Cauchy's work: his use of complex numbers; how his works on number theory, algebra, and analysis interacted; and the differences and similarities with the work of Jacobi, Dirichlet and Kummer. It clearly brings out how, not unexpectedly, Gauss's \textit{Disquisitiones arithmeticae} formed a starting point, in particular the sections on cyclotomy and quadratic forms.

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