The lifting problem for universal quadratic forms over a totally real number field K consists of determining the existence or otherwise of a quadratic form with integer coefficients (or $\mathbb {Z}$-form) that is universal over K. We prove the nonexistence of universal $\mathbb {Z}$-forms over simplest cubic fields for which the integer parameter is big enough. The monogenic case is already known. We prove the nonexistence in the nonmonogenic case by using the existence of a totally positive nonunit algebraic integer in K with minimal (codifferent) trace equal to one.

We prove that in each degree divisible by 2 or 3, there are infinitely many totally real number fields that require universal quadratic forms to have arbitrarily large rank.

For a subset S of nonnegative integers and a vector $\mathbf {a}=(a_1,\ldots ,a_k)$ of positive integers, define the set $V^{\prime }_S(\mathbf {a})=\{ a_1s_1+\cdots +a_ks_k : s_i\in S\}-\{0\}$ . For a positive integer n, let $\mathcal T(n)$ be the set of integers greater than or equal to n. We consider the problem of finding all vectors $\mathbf {a}$ satisfying $V^{\prime }_S(\mathbf {a})=\mathcal T(n)$ when S is the set of (generalised) m-gonal numbers and n is a positive integer. In particular, we completely resolve the case when S is the set of triangular numbers.

Z.-W. Sun [‘Refining Lagrange’s four-square theorem’, J. Number Theory175 (2017), 169–190] conjectured that every positive integer n can be written as $ x^2+y^2+z^2+w^2\ (x,y,z,w\in \mathbb {N}=\{0,1,\ldots \})$ with $x+3y$ a square and also as $n=x^2+y^2+z^2+w^2\ (x,y,z,w \in \mathbb {Z})$ with $x+3y\in \{4^k:k\in \mathbb {N}\}$ . In this paper, we confirm these conjectures via the arithmetic theory of ternary quadratic forms.

A (positive definite and integral) quadratic form is said to be prime-universal if it represents all primes. Recently, Doyle and Williams [‘Prime-universal quadratic forms $ax^2+by^2+cz^2$ and $ax^2+by^2+cz^2+dw^2$ ’, Bull. Aust. Math. Soc.101 (2020), 1–12] classified all prime-universal diagonal ternary quadratic forms and all prime-universal diagonal quaternary quadratic forms under two conjectures. We classify all prime-universal diagonal quadratic forms regardless of rank, and prove the so-called 67-theorem for a diagonal quadratic form to be prime-universal.

We study totally positive definite quadratic forms over the ring of integers $\mathcal {O}_K$ of a totally real biquadratic field $K=\mathbb {Q}(\sqrt {m}, \sqrt {s})$. We restrict our attention to classic forms (i.e. those with all non-diagonal coefficients in $2\mathcal {O}_K$) and prove that no such forms in three variables are universal (i.e. represent all totally positive elements of $\mathcal {O}_K$). Moreover, we show the same result for totally real number fields containing at least one non-square totally positive unit and satisfying some other mild conditions. These results provide further evidence towards Kitaoka's conjecture that there are only finitely many number fields over which such forms exist. One of our main tools are additively indecomposable elements of $\mathcal {O}_K$; we prove several new results about their properties.

Derived equivalences of twisted K3 surfaces induce twisted Hodge isometries between them; that is, isomorphisms of their cohomologies which respect certain natural lattice structures and Hodge structures. We prove a criterion for when a given Hodge isometry arises in this way. In particular, we describe the image of the representation which associates to any autoequivalence of a twisted K3 surface its realization in cohomology: this image is a subgroup of index $1$ or $2$ in the group of all Hodge isometries of the twisted K3 surface. We show that both indices can occur.

Extending the notion of regularity introduced by Dickson in 1939, a positive definite ternary integral quadratic form is said to be spinor regular if it represents all the positive integers represented by its spinor genus (that is, all positive integers represented by any form in its spinor genus). Jagy conducted an extensive computer search for primitive ternary quadratic forms that are spinor regular, but not regular, resulting in a list of 29 such forms. In this paper, we will prove that there are no additional forms with this property.

Given systems of two (inhomogeneous) quadratic equations in four variables, it is known that the Hasse principle for integral points may fail. Sometimes this failure can be explained by some integral Brauer–Manin obstruction. We study the existence of a non-trivial algebraic part of the Brauer group for a family of such systems and show that the failure of the integral Hasse principle due to an algebraic Brauer–Manin obstruction is rare, as for a generic choice of a system the algebraic part of the Brauer-group is trivial. We use resolvent constructions to give quantitative upper bounds on the number of exceptions.

Let $M$ be an irreducible holomorphic symplectic (hyperkähler) manifold. If $b_{2}(M)\geqslant 5$, we construct a deformation $M^{\prime }$ of $M$ which admits a symplectic automorphism of infinite order. This automorphism is hyperbolic, that is, its action on the space of real $(1,1)$-classes is hyperbolic. If $b_{2}(M)\geqslant 14$, similarly, we construct a deformation which admits a parabolic automorphism (and many other automorphisms as well).

For any positive integer $M$ we show that there are infinitely many real quadratic fields that do not admit $M$-ary universal quadratic forms (without any restriction on the parity of their cross coefficients).

The celebrated Smith–Minkowski–Siegel mass formula expresses the mass of a quadratic lattice $(L,Q)$ as a product of local factors, called the local densities of $(L,Q)$. This mass formula is an essential tool for the classification of integral quadratic lattices. In this paper, we will describe the local density formula explicitly by observing the existence of a smooth affine group scheme $\underline{G}$ over $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ with generic fiber $\text{Aut}_{\mathbb{Q}_{2}}(L,Q)$, which satisfies $\underline{G}(\mathbb{Z}_{2})=\text{Aut}_{\mathbb{Z}_{2}}(L,Q)$. Our method works for any unramified finite extension of $\mathbb{Q}_{2}$. Therefore, we give a long awaited proof for the local density formula of Conway and Sloane and discover its generalization to unramified finite extensions of $\mathbb{Q}_{2}$. As an example, we give the mass formula for the integral quadratic form $Q_{n}(x_{1},\dots ,x_{n})=x_{1}^{2}+\cdots +x_{n}^{2}$ associated to a number field $k$ which is totally real and such that the ideal $(2)$ is unramified over $k$.

We give an enumeration of all positive definite primitive $ \mathbb{Z} $-lattices in dimension $n\geq 3$ whose genus consists of a single isometry class. This is achieved by using bounds obtained from the Smith–Minkowski–Siegel mass formula to computationally construct the square-free determinant lattices with this property, and then repeatedly calculating pre-images under a mapping first introduced by G. L. Watson.

We hereby complete the classification of single-class genera in dimensions 4 and 5 and correct some mistakes in Watson’s classifications in other dimensions. A list of all single-class primitive $ \mathbb{Z} $-lattices has been compiled and incorporated into the Catalogue of Lattices.

Given an intersection of two quadrics $X\subset { \mathbb{P} }^{m- 1} $, with $m\geq 9$, the quantitative arithmetic of the set $X( \mathbb{Q} )$ is investigated under the assumption that the singular locus of $X$ consists of a pair of conjugate singular points defined over $ \mathbb{Q} (i)$.

An integer may be represented by a quadratic form over each ring of p-adic integers and over the reals without being represented by this quadratic form over the integers. More generally, such failure of a local-global principle may occur for the representation of one integral quadratic form by another integral quadratic form. We show that many such examples may be accounted for by a Brauer–Manin obstruction for the existence of integral points on schemes defined over the integers. For several types of homogeneous spaces of linear algebraic groups, this obstruction is shown to be the only obstruction to the existence of integral points.

In this paper we prove that every positive definite n-ary integral quadratic form with 12 < n < 13 (respectively 14 ≦ n ≤ 20) that can be represented by a sum of squares of integral linear forms is represented by a sum of 2 · 3n + n + 6 (respectively 3 · 4n + n + 3) squares. We also prove that every positive definite 7-ary integral quadratic form that can be represented by a sum of squares is represented by a sum of 25 squares.

In [CKR], Chan, Kim and Raghavan determine all universal positive ternary integral quadratic forms over real quadratic number fields. In this context, universal means that the form represents all totally positive elements of the ring of integers of the underlying field. This generalizes the usage of the term introduced by Dickson for the case of the ring of rational integers [D]. In the present paper, we will continue the investigation of quadratic forms with this property, considering positive quaternary forms over totally real number fields. The main goal of the paper is to prove that if E is a totally real number field of odd degree over the field of rational numbers, then there are at most finitely many inequivalent universal positive quaternary quadratic forms over the ring of integers of E. In fact, the stronger result will be proved that this finiteness holds for those forms which represent all totally positive multiples of any fixed totally positive integer. The necessity of the assumption of oddness of the degree of the extension for a general result of this type can be seen from the existence of universal ternary forms over certain real quadratic fields (for example, the sum of three squares over the field ℚ(√5), as first shown by Maass [M]).

John Conway's analysis in 1968 of the automorphism group of the Leech lattice and his discovery of three sporadic simple groups led to the immediate speculation that other Z-lattices might have interesting automorphism groups which give rise to (possibly new) finite simple groups. (The classification theorem for the finite simple groups has since told us that no new finite simple groups can arise in this or any other way.) For example in 1973, M. Broué and M. Enguehard constructed, in every dimension 2n, an even lattice (unimodular if n is odd) whose automorphism group is related to the simple Chevalley group of type Dn. This family of integral lattices received attention and acclaim in the subsequent literature. What escaped the attention of this literature, however, was the fact that these lattices had been discovered years earlier. Indeed in 1959, E. S. Barnes and G. E. Wall gave a uniform construction for a large class of positive definite Z-lattices in dimensions 2n which include those of Broué and Enguehard as special cases. The present article introduces an abstracted and generalized version of the construction of Barnes and Wall. In addition, there are some new observations about Barnes-Wall lattices. In particular, it is shown how to associate to each such lattice a continuous, piecewise linear graph in the plane from which all the important properties of the lattice, for example, its minimum, whether it is integral, unimodular, even, or perfect can be read off directly.