Topics in Number Theory

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is concerned with problems in number theory, specifically the theory of L-functions. One central theme in number theory is to understand the properties and distribution of prime numbers. Often such problems are understood by packaging the relevant information into analytic objects known as L-functions. The study of these L-functions is a classical topic in number theory beginning with the work of Riemann and Dirichlet in the nineteenth century, but yet continues to be a central focus of modern mathematics, with problems like the Riemann Hypothesis and the Birch & Swinnerton-Dyer conjectures lying at the heart of the subject. Progress in this area has sometimes found applications in cryptography and theoretical computer science. The investigator will continue his work on topics at the interface of analysis, number theory, and combinatorics. In particular he will continue research in multiplicative number theory (for example in the distribution of random multiplicative functions, averages of Weyl sums, and averages of singular series), and in understanding the moments and value distribution of central values of L-functions. The grant will also be used to help train graduate students in the area. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.