A Survey of Local–Global Methods for Hilbert’s Tenth Problem

Abstract

Hilbert’s Tenth Problem (H10) for a ring R asks for an algorithm to decide correctly, for each f∈ℤ[X1,…,Xn], whether the diophantine equation f(X1,…,Xn)=0 has a solution in R. The celebrated ‘Davis–Putnam–Robinson–Matiyasevich theorem’ shows that H10 for ℤ is unsolvable, i.e., there is no such algorithm. Since then, Hilbert’s Tenth Problem has been studied in a wide range of rings and fields. Most importantly, for number fields and in particular for ℚ, H10 is still an unsolved problem. A recent work of Eisenträger, Poonen, Koenigsmann, Park, Dittmann, Daans, and others has dramatically pushed forward what is known in this area and has made essential use of local–global principles for quadratic forms and for central simple algebras. We give a concise survey and introduction to this particular rich area of interaction between logic and number theory, without assuming a detailed background of either subject. We also sketch two further directions of future research, one inspired by model theory and one by arithmetic geometry.