Automorphic Functions And Number Theory

Introduction to the Arithmetic Theory of Automorphic Functions

The theory of automorphic forms is playing increasingly important roles in several branches of mathematics, even in physics, and is almost ubiquitous in number theory. This book introduces the reader to the subject and in particular to elliptic modular forms with emphasis on their number-theoretical aspects. After two chapters geared toward elementary levels, there follows a detailed treatment of the theory of Hecke operators, which associate zeta functions to modular forms. At a more advanced level, complex multiplication of elliptic curves and abelian varieties is discussed. The main question is the construction of abelian extensions of certain algebraic number fields, which is traditionally called "Hilbert's twelfth problem." Another advanced topic is the determination of the zeta function of an algebraic curve uniformized by modular functions, which supplies an indispensable background for the recent proof of Fermat's last theorem by Wiles.

Automorphic Functions and Number Theory

Automorphic Forms

Automorphic forms are an important complex analytic tool in number theory and modern arithmetic geometry. They played for example a vital role in Andrew Wiles's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. This text provides a concise introduction to the world of automorphic forms using two approaches: the classic elementary theory and the modern point of view of adeles and representation theory. The reader will learn the important aims and results of the theory by focussing on its essential aspects and restricting it to the 'base field' of rational numbers. Students interested for example in arithmetic geometry or number theory will find that this book provides an optimal and easily accessible introduction into this topic.