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Lior Bary-Soroker

Publications and source records attributed to Lior Bary-Soroker.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Roots of Polynomials and The Derangement Problem

We present a new killing-a-fly-with-a-sledgehammer proof of one of the oldest results in probability which says that the probability that a random permutation on $n$ elements has no fixed points tends to $e^{-1}$ as $n$ tends to infinity. Our proof stems from the connection between permutations and polynomials over finite fields and is based on an independence argument, which is trivial in the polynomial world.

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On the distribution of the rational points on cyclic covers in the absence of roots of unity

In this paper we study the number of rational points on curves in an ensemble of abelian covers of the projective line: Let $\ell$ be a prime, $q$ a prime power and consider the ensemble $\mathcal{H}_{g,\ell}$ of $\ell$-cyclic covers of $\mathbb{P}^1_{\mathbb{F}_q}$ of genus $g$. We assume that $q\not\equiv 0,1\mod \ell$. If $2g+2\ell-2\not\equiv0\mod (\ell-1){\rm ord}_\ell(q)$, then $\mathcal{H}_{g,\ell}$ is empty. Otherwise, the number of rational points on a random curve in $\mathcal{H}_{g,\ell}$ distributes as $\sum_{i=1}^{q+1} X_i$ as $g\to \infty$, where $X_1,\ldots, X_{q+1}$ are i.i.d.\ random variables taking the values $0$ and $\ell$ with probabilities $\frac{\ell-1}{\ell}$ and $\frac{1}{\ell}$, respectively. The novelty of our result is that it works in the absence of a primitive $\ell$-th-root of unity, the presence of which was crucial in previous studies.

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Cubic twin prime polynomials are counted by a modular form

We present the geometry lying behind counting twin prime polynomials in $\mathbb{F}_q[T]$ in general. We compute cohomology and explicitly count points by means of a twisted Lefschetz trace formula applied to these parametrizing varieties for cubic twin prime polynomials. The elliptic curve $X^3 = Y(Y-1)$ occurs in the geometry, and thus counting cubic twin prime polynomials involves the associated modular form. In theory, this approach can be extended to higher degree twin primes, but the computations become harder. The formula we get in degree $3$ is compatible with the Hardy-Littlewood heuristic on average, agrees with the prediction for $q \equiv 2 \pmod 3$ but shows anomalies for $q \equiv 1 \pmod 3$.

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Correlations of sums of two squares and other arithmetic functions in function fields

We investigate a function field analogue of a recent conjecture on autocorrelations of sums of two squares by Freiberg, Kurlberg and Rosenzweig, which generalizes an older conjecture by Connors and Keating. In particular, we provide extensive numerical evidence and prove it in the large finite field limit. Our method can also handle correlations of other arithmetic functions and we give applications to (function field analogues of) the average of sums of two squares on shifted primes, and to autocorrelations of higher divisor functions twisted by a quadratic character.

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On the Function Field Analogue of Landau's Theorem on Sums of Squares

This paper deals with function field analogues of the famous theorem of Landau which gives the asymptotic density of sums of two squares in $\mathbb{Z}$. We define the analogue of a sum of two squares in $\mathbb{F}_q[T]$ and estimate the number $B_q(n)$ of such polynomials of degree $n$ in two cases. The first case is when $q$ is large and $n$ fixed and the second case is when $n$ is large and $q$ is fixed. Although the methods used and main terms computed in each of the two cases differ, the two iterated limits of (a normalization of) $B_q(n)$ turn out to be exactly the same.

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Sieves and the Minimal Ramification Problem

The minimal ramification problem may be considered as a quantitative version of the inverse Galois problem. For a nontrivial finite group $G$, let $m(G)$ be the minimal integer $m$ for which there exists a Galois extension $N/\mathbb{Q}$ that is ramified at exactly $m$ primes (including the infinite one). So, the problem is to compute or to bound $m(G)$. In this paper, we bound the ramification of extensions $N/\mathbb{Q}$ obtained as a specialization of a branched covering $ϕ\colon C\to \mathbb{P}^1_{\mathbb{Q}}$. This leads to novel upper bounds on $m(G)$, for finite groups $G$ that are realizable as the Galois group of a branched covering. Some instances of our general results are: $$ 1\leq m(S_m)\leq 4 \quad \mbox{and} \quad n\leq m(S_m^n) \leq n+4, $$ for all $n,m>0$. Here $S_m$ denotes the symmetric group on $m$ letters, and $S_m^n$ is the direct product of $n$ copies of $S_m$. We also get the correct asymptotic of $m(G^n)$, as $n \to \infty$ for a certain class of groups $G$. Our methods are based on sieve theory results, in particular on the Green-Tao-Ziegler theorem on prime values of linear forms in two variables, on the theory of specialization in arithmetic geometry, and on finite group theory.

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Sums of two squares in short intervals in polynomial rings over finite fields

Landau's theorem asserts that the asymptotic density of sums of two squares in the interval $1\leq n\leq x$ is $K/{\sqrt{\log x}}$, where $K$ is the Landau-Ramanujan constant. It is an old problem in number theory whether the asymptotic density remains the same in intervals $|n-x|\leq x^ε$ for a fixed $ε$ and $x\to \infty$. This work resolves a function field analogue of this problem, in the limit of a large finite field. More precisely, consider monic $f_0\in \mathbb{F}_q[T]$ of degree $n$ and take $ε$ with $1>ε\geq \frac2n$. Then the asymptotic density of polynomials $f$ in the `interval' ${\rm deg}(f-f_0)\leq εn$ that are of the form $f=A^2+TB^2$, $A,B\in \mathbb{F}_q[T]$ is $\frac{1}{4^n}\binom{2n}{n}$ as $q\to \infty$. This density agrees with the asymptotic density of such monic $f$'s of degree $n$ as $q\to \infty$, as was shown by the second author, Smilanski, and Wolf. A key point in the proof is the calculation of the Galois group of $f(-T^2)$, where $f$ is a polynomial of degree $n$ with a few variable coefficients: The Galois group is the hyperoctahedral group of order $2^nn!$.

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Prime polynomial values of linear functions in short intervals

In this paper we establish a function field analogue of a conjecture in number theory which is a combination of several famous conjectures, including the Hardy-Littlewood prime tuple conjecture, conjectures on the number of primes in arithmetic progressions and in short intervals, and the Goldbach conjecture. We prove an asymptotic formula for the number of simultaneous prime values of $n$ linear functions, in the limit of a large finite field.

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Prime polynomials in short intervals and in arithmetic progressions

In this paper we establish function field versions of two classical conjectures on prime numbers. The first says that the number of primes in intervals (x,x+x^epsilon] is about x^epsilon/log x and the second says that the number of primes p 1 and m\geq 3 if q is even and deg f' \leq 1. We show that this estimation fails in the neglected cases. Let π_q(k) be the number of monic prime polynomials of degree k with coefficients in the finite field with q elements \FF_q. For relatively prime polynomials f,D\in \FF_q[t] we prove that the number N' of monic prime polynomials g that are congruent to f modulo D and of degree k satisfies |N'-π_q(k)/ϕ(D)|\leq c(k)π_q(k)q^{-1/2}/ϕ(D), as long as 1\leq °D\leq k-3 (or \leq k-4 if p=2 and (f/D)' is constant). We also generalize these results to other factorization types.

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The Sylow subgroups of the absolute Galois group Gal(Q)

We describe the Sylow subgroups of Gal(Q) for an odd prime p, by observing and studying their decomposition as a semidirect product of Z_p acting on F, where F is a free pro-p group, and Z_p are the p-adic integers. We determine the finite Z_p-quotients of F and more generally show that every split embedding problem of Z_p-groups for F is solvable. Moreover, we analyze the Z_p-action on generators of F.

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Hilbertian fields and Galois representations

We prove a new Hilbertianity criterion for fields in towers whose steps are Galois with Galois group either abelian or a product of finite simple groups. We then apply this criterion to fields arising from Galois representations. In particular we settle a conjecture of Jarden on abelian varieties.

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On varieties of Hilbert type

A variety X over a field K is of Hilbert type if the set of rational points X(K) is not thin. We prove that if f: X\to S is a dominant morphism of K-varieties and both S and all fibers f^{-1}(s), s in S(K), are of Hilbert type, then so is X. We apply this to answer a question of Serre on products of varieties and to generalize a result of Colliot-Th'el`ene and Sansuc on algebraic groups.

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Hardy-Littlewood tuple conjecture over large finite field

We prove the following function field analog of the Hardy-Littlewood conjecture (which generalizes the twin prime conjecture) over large finite fields. Let n,r be positive integers and q an odd prime power. For distinct polynomials a_1, ..., a_r over F_q of degree <n let π(q,n;a) be the number of monic polynomials f over F_q of degree n such that f+a_1, ..., f+a_r are simultaneously irreducible. We prove that π(q,n;a) asymptotically equals q^n/n^r as q tends to infinity on odd prime powers and n,r are fixed (the tuple a1,...,a_r need not be fixed).

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On the characterization of Hilbertian fields

The main goal of this work is to answer a question of P. D`ebes and D. Haran by relaxing the condition for Hilbertianity. Namely we prove that for a field K to be Hilbertian it suffices that K has the irreducible specialization property merely for absolutely irreducible polynomials.

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