Convolution and Equidistribution explores an important aspect of number theory–the theory of exponential sums over finite fields and their Mellin transforms–from a new, categorical point of view. The book presents fundamentally important results and a plethora of examples, opening up new directions in the subject.
The finite-field Mellin transform (of a function on the multiplicative group of a finite field) is defined by summing that function against variable multiplicative characters. The basic question considered in the book is how the values of the Mellin transform are distributed (in a probabilistic sense), in cases where the input function is suitably algebro-geometric. This question is answered by the book’s main theorem, using a mixture of geometric, categorical, and group-theoretic methods.
By providing a new framework for studying Mellin transforms over finite fields, this book opens up a new way for researchers to further explore the subject.
About the author
Nicholas M. Katz is professor of mathematics at Princeton University. He is the author or coauthor of six previous titles in the Annals of Mathematics Studies:
Arithmetic Moduli of Elliptic Curves (with Barry Mazur);
Gauss Sums, Kloosterman Sums, and Monodromy Groups;
Exponential Sums and Differential Equations;
Rigid Local Systems;
Twisted L-Functions and Monodromy; and
Moments, Monodromy, and Perversity.
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