Let $X$ be a noetherian scheme with dualizing complex and ${\mathcal{A}}$ a coherent ${\mathcal O}_{X}$-algebra with involution of the first kind $\tau$. We develop in this work a coherent hermitian Witt theory for $({\mathcal{A}},\tau)$. As an application we construct a Gersten–Witt spectral sequence which converges to the coherent hermitian Witt theory of $({\mathcal{A}},\tau)$. We show then that the associated Gersten–Witt complex is exact if $X$ is the spectrum of a smooth semilocal ring and ${\mathcal{A}}$ is locally free as ${\mathcal O}_{X}$-module.

In this paper, we study the orthogonalities of Hecke eigenvalues of holomorphic cusp forms. An asymptotic large sieve with an unusually large main term for cusp forms is obtained. A family of special vectors formed by products of Kloosterman sums and Bessel functions is constructed for which the main term is exceptionally large. This surprising phenomenon reveals an interesting fact: that Fourier coefficients of cusp forms favor the direction of products of Kloosterman sums and Bessel functions of compatible type.

The present issue of Compositio Mathematica is dedicated to Jozef Steenbrink on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday.

We will introduce a regularization for $p$-adic multiple zeta values and show that the generalized double shuffle relations hold. This settles a question raised by Deligne, given as a project in the Arizona Winter School 2002. Our approach is to use the theory of Coleman functions on the moduli space of genus zero curves with marked points and its compactification. The main ingredients are the analytic continuation of Coleman functions to the normal bundle of divisors at infinity and definition of a special tangential base point on the moduli space.

Let E be a CM number field and let S be a finite set of primes of E containing the primes dividing a given prime number l and another prime u split above the maximal totally real subfield of E. If ES denotes a maximal algebraic extension of E which is unramified outside S, we show that the natural maps are injective. We discuss generalizations of this result.

We study a theta lift from a cusp form $f$ on $U(1,1)$ to a cusp form $\mathcal{L} f$ on $U(2,1)$ (the unitary Kudla lift of $f$). We give an explicit expression of the Fourier–Jacobi expansion of $\mathcal{L} f$ in terms of periods and Hecke eigenvalues of $f$. As an application, we give a criterion for the nonvanishing of $\mathcal{L} f$.

We study the Galois tower generated by iterates of a quadratic polynomial $f$ defined over an arbitrary field. One question of interest is to find the proportion $a_n$ of elements at level $n$ that fix at least one root; in the global field case these correspond to unramified primes in the base field that have a divisor at level $n$ of residue class degree one. We thus define a stochastic process associated to the tower that encodes root-fixing information at each level. We develop a uniqueness result for certain permutation groups, and use this to show that for many $f$ each level of the tower contains a certain central involution. It follows that the associated stochastic process is a martingale, and convergence theorems then allow us to establish a criterion for showing that $a_n$ tends to 0. As an application, we study the dynamics of the family $x^2 + c \in\overline{\mathbb{F}}_p[x]$, and this in turn is used to establish a basic property of the $p$-adic Mandelbrot set.

Let $V$ be a complete discrete valuation ring with residue field $k$ of characteristic $p>0$ and fraction field $K$ of characteristic zero. Let ${\cal S}$ be a formal scheme over $V$ and let $\mathfrak{X}\to {\cal S}$ be a locally projective formal abelian scheme. In this paper we prove that, under suitable natural conditions on the Hasse–Witt matrix of $\mathfrak{X}\otimes_V V/\mathit{pV}$, the kernel of the Frobenius morphism on $\mathfrak{X}_k$ can be canonically lifted to a finite and flat subgroup scheme of $\mathfrak{X}$ over an admissible blow-up of ${\cal S}$, called the ‘canonical subgroup of $\mathfrak{X}$’. This is done by a careful study of torsors under group schemes of order $p$ over $\mathfrak{X}$. We also present a filtration on ${\rm H}^1(\mathfrak{X},\mu_p)$ in the spirit of the Hodge–Tate decomposition.

We prove the following theorem characterizing Du Bois singularities. Suppose that $Y$ is smooth and that $X$ is a reduced closed subscheme. Let $\pi : \tilde{Y} \rightarrow Y$ be a log resolution of $X$ in $Y$ that is an isomorphism outside of $X$. If $E$ is the reduced pre-image of $X$ in $\tilde{Y}$, then $X$ has Du Bois singularities if and only if the natural map $\mathcal{O}_X \rightarrow R \pi_* \mathcal{O}_E$ is a quasi-isomorphism. We also deduce Kollár's conjecture that log canonical singularities are Du Bois in the special case of a local complete intersection and prove other results related to adjunction.

In number theory, the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer (BSD) conjecture for a Selmer group relates the corank of a Selmer group of an elliptic curve over a number field to the order of zero of the associated $L$-function $L(E, s)$ at $s=1$. We study its modulo two version called the parity conjecture. The parity conjecture when a prime number $p$ is a good ordinary reduction prime was proven by Nekovar. We prove it when a prime number $p>3$ is a good supersingular reduction prime.

We study Rubin’s variant of the p-adic Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture for CM elliptic curves concerning certain special values of the Katz two-variable p-adic L-function that lie outside the range of p-adic interpolation.

Let $f$ be a newform of weight $2k-2$ and level 1. In this paper we provide evidence for the Bloch–Kato conjecture for modular forms. We demonstrate an implication that under suitable hypotheses if $\varpi \mid L_{\rm alg}(k,f)$ then $p \mid \# H_{f}(\mathbb{Q},W_{f}(1-k))$ where $p$ is a suitably chosen prime and $\varpi$ a uniformizer of a finite extension $K/\mathbb{Q}_{p}$. We demonstrate this by establishing a congruence between the Saito–Kurokawa lift $F_{f}$ of $f$ and a cuspidal Siegel eigenform $G$ that is not a Saito–Kurokawa lift. We then examine what this congruence says in terms of Galois representations to produce a non-trivial $p$-torsion element in $H_{f}^1(\mathbb{Q},W_{f}(1-k))$.

Let $X$ be a smooth and projective variety such that $X$ is fibred over the projective space. We give sufficient conditions ensuring that the fibres contain adelic points satisfying Manin-like conditions.

Let $E$ be a $\textrm{CM}$-field and $\pi$ a cuspidal representation of $\textrm{GL}_n({\mathbb{A}}_E)$ which admits a spherical vector (at all places) <formula form="inline" disc="math" id="ffm005"><formtex notation="AMSTeX">$\phi_0$. We evaluate the period of $\phi_0$ with respect to any compact unitary group. The result is consistent with a conjecture of Sarnak.

We give a natural obstruction theoretic interpretation to the first Pontryagin class in terms of Courant algebroids. As an application we calculate the class of the stack of algebras of chiral differential operators. In particular, we establish the existence and uniqueness of the chiral de Rham complex.

Let $C\subset C_1\times C_2$ be a curve of type $(d_1,d_2)$ in the product of the two curves $C_1$ and $C_2$. Let $\nu$ be a positive integer. We prove that if a certain inequality involving $d_1,\ d_2,\ \nu$, and the genera of the curves $C_1,\ C_2$, and $C$ is satisfied, then the set of points $\{P\in C(\bar{k})\mid[k(P):k]\leq \nu\}$ is finite for any number field $k$. We prove a similar result for integral points of bounded degree on $C$. These results are obtained as consequences of an inequality of Vojta which generalizes the Roth–Wirsing theorem to curves.

We assume the validity of the equivariant Tamagawa number conjecture for a certain motive attached to an abelian extension K/k of number fields, and we calculate the Fitting ideal of the dual of clK− as a Galois module, under mild extra hypotheses on K/k. This builds on concepts and results of Tate, Burns, Ritter and Weiss. If k is the field of rational numbers, our results are unconditional.

The purpose of this paper is to develop the theory of equisingular deformations of plane curve singularities in arbitrary characteristic. We study equisingular deformations of the parametrization and of the equation and show that the base space of its semiuniversal deformation is smooth in both cases. Our approach through deformations of the parametrization is elementary and we show that equisingular deformations of the parametrization form a linear subfunctor of all deformations of the parametrization. This gives additional information, even in characteristic zero, the case which was treated by J. Wahl. The methods and proofs extend easily to good characteristic, that is, when the characteristic does not divide the multiplicity of any branch of the singularity. In bad characteristic, however, new phenomena occur and we are naturally led to consider weakly trivial (respectively, weakly equisingular) deformations, that is, deformations which become trivial (respectively, equisingular) after a finite and dominant base change. The semiuniversal base space for weakly equisingular deformations is, in general, not smooth but becomes smooth after a finite and purely inseparable base extension. The proof of this fact is more complicated and we introduce new constructions which may have further applications in the theory of singularities in positive characteristic.

Let $A$ be a $d$-dimensional local ring containing a field. We will prove that the highest Lyubeznik number $\lambda_{d,d}(A)$ is equal to the number of connected components of the Hochster–Huneke graph associated to $B$, where $B=\widehat{\hat{A}^{\rm sh}}$ is the completion of the strict Henselization of the completion of $A$. This was proven by Lyubeznik in characteristic $p>0$. Our statement and proof are characteristic-free.

A non-Abelian generalization of local class field theory, which can describe non-abelian Galois groups in terms of the ground field, is given. The absolute Galois group of a local field is canonically defined up to an inner automorphism and the natural approach of describing class functions on it leads to Langland's philosophy. Another way to describe the absolute Galois group is to rigidify its structure by means of an arbitrary lifting of the Frobenius automorphism. This point of view is used in the metabelian local class field theory of Koch and de Shalit and its generalization by Gurevich. Iterating a slightly modified version of metabelian local class field theory on some fields of norms leads to a ‘non-abelian local class field theory’.