This thesis extends Tate’s conjectures from the smooth case to quotient varieties. It shows that two of those conjectures hold for quotient varieties if they hold for smooth projective varieties. We also consider arbitrary product of modular curves and show that the three conjectures of Tate (in codimension 1) hold for this product. Finally we look at quotients of the surface V = X1(N)×X1(N) and prove that Tate’s conjectures are satisfied for those quotients. / Thesis (Ph.D, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-21 09:43:47.789

Bloch et Beilinson ont proposé plusieurs conjectures sur les liens entre les applications régulateurs du groupe de K-théorie algébrique associée à une courbe modulaire et des valeurs spéciales de fonction L. Fixons N, un entier naturel et considérons le sous-groupe de congruence $\Gamma_0(N)$. Le présent mémoire démontre une formule explicite entre le régulateur de la courbe modulaire $X_0(N)$ appliqué à une forme primitive et une valeur spéciale de la fonction L associée. / Bloch and Beilinson conjectured many relations regarding the regulator of a modular curve. This function from the algebraic K-theory of the modular curve is supposed to be related to special values of L functions. Let N be a positive integer et consider the congruence subgroup $\Gamma_0(N)$. This thesis relates explicitly the regulator of the modular curve $X_0(N)$ applied to some newform with a special value of the newform's L function.

On passe en revue les résultats de l'auteur sur la fonction $\beta$ de Mather.

We prove a couple of conjectures raised by J. J. Seidel in On the volume of a hyperbolic simplex, Stud. Sci. Math. Hung. (21, 243249, 1986). These conjectures concern the volume of ideal hyperbolic tetrahedra in hyperbolic 3-space and are related to the following general framework. Since explicit formulae for geometric quantities in hyperbolic space (distance, area, volume, etc.) typically involve sophisticated transcendental functions, it is desirable (and quite useful in practice) to expresses these geometric quantities as monotonic functions of algebraic maps. Seidels Speculation 1 says that the volume of an ideal tetrahedron in hyperbolic 3-space depends only on the determinant and permanent of the doubly stochastic Gram matrix of its vertices; Speculation 4 claims that the mentioned volume is monotone in both the determinant and permanent. We are able to give affirmative answers to Speculations 1 and 4 by parameterizing the classifying space of (labelled) ideal tetrahedra in a suitable way. / Provamos duas conjecturas apresentadas por J. J. Seidel em On the volume of a hyperbolic simplex, Stud. Sci. Math. Hung. (21, 243249, 1986). Estas conjecturas referem ao volume de tetraedros ideais no 3-espaço hiperbólico e estão relacionadas com o seguinte quadro geral. Como fórmulas explícitas para grandezas geométricas no espaço hiperbólico (distancia, área, volume, etc.) tipicamente envolvem funções transcendentais sofisticadas, é desejável (e, na prática, bastante útil) expressar tais grandezas geométricas como aplicações monótonas de mapas algébricos. A Especulação 1 de Seidel diz que o volume de um tetraedro ideal no 3-espaço hiperbólico depende apenas do determinante e do permanente da matriz de Gram duplamente estocástica G de seus vértices; a Especulação 4 afirma que o referido volume é monótono tanto no determinante quanto no permanente de G. Damos respostas afirmativas ás Especulações 1 e 4 ao parametrizar o espaço classificador de tetraedros ideais (marcados) de maneira adequada.

We prove a couple of conjectures raised by J. J. Seidel in On the volume of a hyperbolic simplex, Stud. Sci. Math. Hung. (21, 243249, 1986). These conjectures concern the volume of ideal hyperbolic tetrahedra in hyperbolic 3-space and are related to the following general framework. Since explicit formulae for geometric quantities in hyperbolic space (distance, area, volume, etc.) typically involve sophisticated transcendental functions, it is desirable (and quite useful in practice) to expresses these geometric quantities as monotonic functions of algebraic maps. Seidels Speculation 1 says that the volume of an ideal tetrahedron in hyperbolic 3-space depends only on the determinant and permanent of the doubly stochastic Gram matrix of its vertices; Speculation 4 claims that the mentioned volume is monotone in both the determinant and permanent. We are able to give affirmative answers to Speculations 1 and 4 by parameterizing the classifying space of (labelled) ideal tetrahedra in a suitable way. / Provamos duas conjecturas apresentadas por J. J. Seidel em On the volume of a hyperbolic simplex, Stud. Sci. Math. Hung. (21, 243249, 1986). Estas conjecturas referem ao volume de tetraedros ideais no 3-espaço hiperbólico e estão relacionadas com o seguinte quadro geral. Como fórmulas explícitas para grandezas geométricas no espaço hiperbólico (distancia, área, volume, etc.) tipicamente envolvem funções transcendentais sofisticadas, é desejável (e, na prática, bastante útil) expressar tais grandezas geométricas como aplicações monótonas de mapas algébricos. A Especulação 1 de Seidel diz que o volume de um tetraedro ideal no 3-espaço hiperbólico depende apenas do determinante e do permanente da matriz de Gram duplamente estocástica G de seus vértices; a Especulação 4 afirma que o referido volume é monótono tanto no determinante quanto no permanente de G. Damos respostas afirmativas ás Especulações 1 e 4 ao parametrizar o espaço classificador de tetraedros ideais (marcados) de maneira adequada.

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Un théorème célèbre de Faltings affirme que les points rationnels sur un corps de nombres d'une sous-variété d'une variété abélienne ne sont pas denses dans cette sous-variété sauf si elle possède elle-même une structure de variété abélienne. Grâce au thèorème de Mordell-Weil, cet énoncé est équivalent à la non-densité de l'intersection de la sous-variété considérée avec un sous-groupe de type fini. Nous montrons comment la méthode introduite par Vojta et étendue par Faltings permet d'étudier des intersections plus générales que celles-ci.

Dans ma thèse, je propose plusieurs contributions à l'étude de la cohomologie des variétés projectives complexes ainsi qu'à la construction de cycles algébriques. Le mémoire se compose de plusieurs parties qui, si elles sont indépendantes, essaient toutes trois de tirer parti de la nature multiple de ces variétés, à la fois variétés kähleriennes, donc objets analytiques, variétés algébriques, et enfin objets arithmétiques, étant toujours définies sur un corps de type fini sur $\Q$. La première partie de ce texte, parue au journal de Crelle, s'intéresse au problème de la topologie des variétés conjuguées. On y répond à une question de Grothendieck en y exhibant deux variétés conjuguées dont les algèbres de cohomologie réelles ne sont pas isomorphes. Dans une deuxième partie, on aborde le problème de la construction des cycles algébriques dont l'existence est prévue par les conjectures standards, pour ensuite examiner de manière plus détaillée le cas des variétés hyperkahleriennes. Nous utilisons principalement des méthodes infinitésimales en théorie de Hodge. Enfin, dans la troisième partie, parue aux International Mathematical Research Notices, on s'intéresse au problème du lieu de définition des fonctions normales associées aux familles de cycles dans les variétés projectives complexes. On y prolonge des résultats récents de Brosnan et Pearlstein qui démontrent l'algébricité de ce lieu en prouvant des théorèmes de comparaison avec la cohomologie étale $l$-adique et en démontrant, sous certaines hypothèses de monodromie, que ces lieux sont définis sur un corps de nombres.

In this thesis, we introduce and study several norms constructed to satisfy an extremal property with respect to the Mahler measure. These norms naturally generalize the metric Mahler measure introduced by Dubickas and Smyth. We show that bounding these norms on a certain subspace implies Lehmer's conjecture and in at least one case that the converse is true as well. We evaluate these norms on a class of algebraic numbers that include Pisot and Salem numbers, and for surds. We prove that the infimum in the construction is achieved in a certain finite dimensional space for all algebraic numbers in one case, and for surds in general, a finiteness result analogous to that of Samuels and Jankauskas for the t-metric Mahler measures. Next, we generalize Dirichlet's S-unit theorem from the usual group of S-units of a number field K to the infinite rank group of all algebraic numbers having nontrivial valuations only on places lying over S. Specifically, we demonstrate that the group of algebraic S-units modulo torsion is a Q-vector space which, when normed by the Weil height, spans a hyperplane determined by the product formula, and that the elements of this vector space which are linearly independent over Q retain their linear independence over R. / text

This dissertation consists of four articles and a summary. The main focus of the studies is students' explorations in upper secondary school mathematics. In the first study the central research question was to find out if the students could learn something difficult by using the graphing calculator. The students were working with questions connected to factorisation of quadratic polynomials, and the factor theorem. The results indicate that the students got a better understanding for the factor theorem, and for the connection between graphical and algebraical representations. The second study focused on a the last part of an investigation, the verification of an idea or a conjecture. Students were given three conjectures and asked to decide if they were true or false, and also to explain why the conjectures were true or false. In this study I found that the students wanted to use rather abstract mathematics in order to verify the conjectures. Since the results from the second study disagreed with other research in similar situations, I wanted to see what Swedish teachers had to say of the students' ways to verify the conjectures. The third study is an interview study where some teachers were asked what expectations they had on students who were supposed to verify the three conjectures from the second study. The teachers were also confronted with examples from my second study, and asked to comment on how the students performed. The results indicate that teachers tend to underestimate students' mathematical reasoning. A central focus to all my three studies is explorations in mathematics. My fourth study, a revised version of a pilot study performed 1998, concerns exactly that: how students in upper secondary school explore a mathematical concept. The results indicate that the students are able to perform explorations in mathematics, and that the graphing calculator has a potential as a pedagogical aid, it can be a support for the students' mathematical reasoning.