Degree d points on algebraic surfaces

March 18 to March 22, 2024

at the

American Institute of Mathematics, Pasadena, California

organized by

Nathan Chen and Bianca Viray

Original Announcement

This workshop will be devoted to the study of degree $d$ points on algebraic surfaces over a number field.

The study of degree $d$ points on algebraic curves over $\Bbb Q$ is a rich and mature area of research, with the Abel-Jacobi map and the Mordell-Lang conjecture providing powerful tools for exploration. However, for higher dimensional varieties there is no such approach that works in general. Because of this, we lack even a conjectural framework for understanding which higher dimensional varieties over $\Bbb Q$ should have "many" degree $d$ points.

The workshop will focus on questions aimed at addressing this dearth, concentrating on the case of algebraic surfaces. For instance, what does it mean for a surface over $\Bbb Q$ to have "many" degree $d$ points? What are some geometric constructions that give rise to abundant degree $d$ points? Are these related to geometric measures of irrationality? If $Hilb^d_X$ has a Zariski dense set of $\Bbb Q$-points for some small $d$, does that yield any arithmetic or geometric consequences for $X$? If $X$ embeds into its Albanese, can we obtain results analogous to that of curves?

Participants will be researchers from a broad array of backgrounds (e.g., arithmetic of surfaces, geometry of Hilbert schemes of surfaces, geometric measures of irrationality, arithmetic of 0-cycles, to name a few), ideally with a curiosity and interest in arithmetic questions.

Material from the workshop

A list of participants.

The workshop schedule.

A report on the workshop activities.

A list of open problems.

Workshop videos