Zeta functions in algebraic geometry


Time and venue D-3.518, Thursdays 12:30-14:00.



The main reference for the seminar is Mustata's online book. The chapters below refer to this book.

Tentative programme

Talk 1 (12th September) Introduction and discussion (no formal talk).

Talk 2 (19th September) Riemann's zeta function (Árpád Tóth)

26th September: no talk

Talk 3 (3rd October) Basics of Hasse-Weil zeta functions §2.1-2.4 (Márton Borbényi)

Talk 4 (10th October) Elliptic curves, group law, rational points, examples (Silverman's book "Arithmetic of Elliptic curves §III.1-3, Ádám Sagmeister)

Talk 5 (17th October) Proof of Weil's conjecture for elliptic curves (Silverman's book "Arithmetic of Elliptic curves" §V.1-2, Tamás Szőke)

Talk 6 (24th October) Introduction to (co)homology theories, heuristics on Lefschetz' Fixed Point Theorem

Talk 7 (7th November) Riemann-Roch for curves (Hartshorne: Algebraic geometry, §IV.1, László Koltai)

Talk 8 (14th November) Proof of Weil's conjectures for general smooth curves §3.1-3

Talk 9 (21st November) Estimating exponential sums using Weil's conjectures §6.2-3

Talk 10 (28th November) Grothendieck topologies, sheaf cohomology, étale (\(\ell\)-adic) cohomology §4.3

Talk 11 (5th December) Some \(p\)-adic analysis and Dwork's proof §8 (Narmada Varadarajan)

Talk 12 (12th December) Make-up talk or further topics