# zbMATH — the first resource for mathematics

Primes represented by binary cubic forms. (English) Zbl 1030.11046
Let $$f(x,y)$$ be a binary cubic form with integral rational coefficients, and suppose that the polynomial $$f(x,y)$$ is irreducible in $$\mathbb Q[x,y ]$$ and no prime divides all the coefficients of $$f$$. We prove that the set $$f (\mathbb Z^2)$$ contains infinitely many primes unless $$f(a,b)$$ is even for each $$(a,b)$$ in $$\mathbb Z^2$$, in which case the set $$\frac{1}{2} f(\mathbb Z^2)$$ contains infinitely many primes. This theorem is a generalization of the recent theorem of D. R. Heath-Brown [Acta Math. 186, 1–84 (2001; Zbl 1007.11055)] on the infinitude of the primes represented by the cubic form $$x^3+ 2y^3$$, and its proof follows the pattern set up in that paper. The main innovations are related to the arithmetic of a general cubic field; our considerations require, in particular, some techniques from E. Hecke’s multidimensional arithmetic which we briefly review. As in the cited work of Heath-Brown, we have actually obtained an asymptotic formula for the relevant number of primes.
Reviewer: B.Z.Moroz (Bonn)

##### MSC:
 11N32 Primes represented by polynomials; other multiplicative structures of polynomial values 11N36 Applications of sieve methods 11R44 Distribution of prime ideals
##### Keywords:
primes; binary cubic forms; grossencharacters
Full Text: