In dieser Dissertation untersuchen wir die Niedrigenergieentwicklung von Streuamplituden geschlossener Strings auf Einschleifenniveau (d.h. auf Genus eins) in einem zehndimensionalen Minkowski-Hintergrund mit Hilfe einer speziellen Klasse von Funktionen, den sogenannten modularen Graphenformen. Diese erlauben eine systematische Berechnung der Niedrigenergieentwicklung und erfüllen viele nicht-triviale algebraische- und Differentialgleichungen. Wir studieren diese Relationen detailliert und leiten Basiszerlegungen für eine große Zahl modularer Graphenformen her. Eines der Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation ist ein Mathematica-Paket, welches diese Vereinfachungen automatisiert. Wir benutzen diese Techniken, um die führenden Niedrigenergieordnungen der Streuamplitude von vier Gluonen im heterotischen String auf Einschleifenniveau zu berechnen. Für Stringamplituden auf Baumniveau bildet die Einwertigkeitsabbildung multipler Zetawerte offene Stringamplituden auf geschlossene Stringamplituden ab. Wir zeigen, dass ein bestimmter Vorschlag für die Definition einer geeigneten einschleifen-Verallgemeinerung, der sogenannten elliptische Einwertigkeitsabbildung, nicht alle Terme im heterotischen String reproduzieren kann. Ferner studieren wir eine Erzeugendenfunktion, die vermutlich die Torusintegrale aller perturbativen Theorien geschlossener Strings enthält. Wir bestimmen eine Differentialgleichung, die von dieser Erzeugendenfunktion erfüllt wird und lösen sie mit Hilfe von pfadgeordneten Exponentialen, was auf iterierte Integrale von holomorphen Eisensteinreihen führt. Da eine ähnliche Konstruktion im offenen String zur Verfügung steht, eröffnet dies außerdem eine neue Perspektive auf die elliptische Einwertigkeitsabbildung. / In this thesis, we investigate the low-energy expansion of scattering amplitudes of closed strings at one-loop level (i.e. at genus one) in a ten-dimensional Minkowski background using a special class of functions called modular graph forms. These allow for a systematic evaluation of the low-energy expansion and satisfy many non-trivial algebraic and differential relations. We study these relations in detail, leading to basis decompositions for a large number of modular graph forms which greatly reduce the complexity of the expansions of the integrals appearing in the amplitude. One of the results of this thesis is a Mathematica package which automatizes these simplifications. We use these techniques to compute the leading low-energy orders of the scattering amplitude of four gluons in the heterotic string at one-loop level. For tree-level string amplitudes, the single-valued map of multiple zeta values maps open-string amplitudes to closed-string amplitudes. The definition of a suitable one-loop generalization, a so-called elliptic single-valued map, is an active area of research and we show that a certain conjectural definition for this map, which was successfully applied to maximally supersymmetric amplitudes, cannot reproduce all terms in the heterotic string which has half-maximal supersymmetry. In order to arrive at a more systematic treatment of modular graph forms and at a different perspective on the elliptic single-valued map, we then study a generating function which conjecturally contains the torus integrals of all perturbative closed-string theories. We determine a differential equation satisfied by this generating function and solve it in terms of path-ordered exponentials, leading to iterated integrals of holomorphic Eisenstein series. Since a similar construction is available for the open string, this opens a new perspective on the elliptic single-valued map.

L'étude du nombre de points rationnels d'une courbe définie sur un corps fini se divise naturellement en deux cas : lorsque le genre est petit (typiquement g<=50), et lorsqu'il tend vers l'infini. Nous consacrons une partie de cette thèse à chacun de ces cas. Dans la première partie de notre étude nous expliquons comment calculer l'équation de n'importe quel revêtement abélien d'une courbe définie sur un corps fini. Nous utilisons pour cela la théorie explicite du corps de classe fournie par les extensions de Kummer et d'Artin-Schreier-Witt. Nous détaillons également un algorithme pour la recherche de bonnes courbes, dont l'implémentation fournit de nouveaux records de nombre de points sur les corps finis d'ordres 2 et 3. Nous étudions dans la seconde partie une formule de trace d'opérateurs de Hecke sur des formes modulaires quaternioniques, et montrons que les courbes de Shimura associées forment naturellement des suites récursives de courbes asymptotiquement optimales sur une extension quadratique du corps de base. Nous prouvons également qu'alors la contribution essentielle en points rationnels est fournie par les points supersinguliers. / The study of the number of rational points of a curve defined over a finite field naturally falls into two cases: when the genus is small (typically g<=50), and when it tends to infinity. We devote one part of this thesis to each of these cases. In the first part of our study, we explain how to compute the equation of any abelian covering of a curve defined over a finite field. For this we use explicit class field theory provided by Kummer and Artin-Schreier-Witt extensions. We also detail an algorithm for the search of good curves, whose implementation provides new records of number of points over the finite fields of order 2 and 3. In the second part, we study a trace formula of Hecke operators on quaternionic modular forms, and we show that the associated Shimura curves of the form naturally form recursive sequences of asymptotically optimal curves over a quadratic extension of the base field. Moreover, we then prove that the essential contribution to the rational points is provided by supersingular points.

The main purpose of this thesis is to apply the modular approach to Diophantine equations to study some Fermat-type equations of signature (r; r; p) with r >/= 5 a fixed prime and “p” varying. In particular, we will study equations of the form x(r) + y(r) = Cz(p), where C is an integer divisible only by primes “q” is non-identical to 1; 0 (mod “r”) and obtain explicit arithmetic results for “r” = 5, 7, 13. We start with equations of the form x(5) + y(5) = Cz(p). Firstly, we attach two Frey curves E; F defined over Q(square root 5) to putative solutions of the equation. Then by using the work of J. Quer on embedding problems and on abelian varieties attached to Q-curves we prove that the p-adic Galois representations attached to E, F can be extended to p-adic representations E), (F) of Gal(Q=Q). Finally, we apply Serre's conjecture to the residual representations  (E), (F) and using Siksek's multi-Frey technique we conclude that the initial solution can not exist. We also describe a general method for attacking infinitely many equations of the form x(r) + y(r) = Cz(p) for all r>/= 7. The method makes use of elliptic curves over totally real fields, modularity and irreducibility results for representations attached to elliptic curves and level lowering theorems for Hilbert modular forms. Indeed, for each fixed “r” we produce several Frey curves defined over K+, the maximal totally real subfield of Q(xi-r). Moreover, if “r” is of the form 6k + 1 we prove the existence of a Frey curve defined over K(0) the subfield of K(+) of degree k. We prove also an irreducibility result for the mod “p” representations attached to certain elliptic curves and a modularity statement for elliptic curves over totally real abelian number fields satisfying some local conditions at 3. Finally, for r = 7 and r = 13 we are able to compute the required spaces of (Hilbert) newforms and by applying our general methods we obtain explicit arithmetic results for equations of signature (7; 7; p) and (13; 13; p). We end by providing two more Frey k-curves (a generalization of Q-curve), where “k” is a certain subfield of K(+), when “r” is a fixed prime of the form 4m+1. / En esta tesis, utilizaremos el método modular para profundizar en el estudio de las ecuaciones de tipo (r; r; p) para r un primo fijado. Empezamos por utilizar la teoría de J. Quer sobre variedades abelianas asociadas con Q-curvas y embedding problems para producir dos curvas de Frey asociadas con hipotéticas soluciones de infinitas ecuaciones de tipo (5; 5; p). Después, utilizando la conjetura de Serre y el método multi-Frey de Siksek demostraremos que las hipotéticas soluciones no pueden existir. Describiremos también un método general que nos permite atacar un número infinito de ecuaciones de tipo (r; r; p) para cada primo “r” mayor o igual que 7. El método hace uso de curvas elípticas sobre cuerpos de números, teoremas de modularidad, teoremas de bajada de nivel y formas modulares de Hilbert. Además, para ecuaciones de tipo (7; 7; p) y (13; 13; p) calcularemos los espacios de formas modulares relevantes y demostraremos que una familia infinita de ecuaciones no admite cierto tipo de soluciones. Además, demostraremos un nuevo teorema de modularidad para curvas elípticas sobre cuerpos totalmente reales abelianos. Finalmente, para primos congruentes con 1 módulo 4 propondremos dos curvas de Frey más. Demostraremos que son “k-curves” (una generalización de Q-curva) y también que satisfacen las propiedades necesarias para que pueda ser útiles en la aplicación del método modular.