In our paper, we study multiplicative properties of difference sets $A-A$ for large sets $A \subseteq {\mathbb {Z}}/q{\mathbb {Z}}$ in the case of composite q. We obtain a quantitative version of a result of A. Fish about the structure of the product sets $(A-A)(A-A)$. Also, we show that the multiplicative covering number of any difference set is always small.

For any $n>1$ we determine the uniform and nonuniform lattices of the smallest covolume in the Lie group $\operatorname {\mathrm {Sp}}(n,1)$ . We explicitly describe them in terms of the ring of Hurwitz integers in the nonuniform case with n even, respectively, of the icosian ring in the uniform case for all $n>1$ .

Let $G$ be an orthogonal, symplectic or unitary group over a non-archimedean local field of odd residual characteristic. This paper concerns the study of the “wild part” of an irreducible smooth representation of $G$, encoded in its “semisimple character”. We prove two fundamental results concerning them, which are crucial steps toward a complete classification of the cuspidal representations of $G$. First we introduce a geometric combinatorial condition under which we prove an “intertwining implies conjugacy” theorem for semisimple characters, both in $G$ and in the ambient general linear group. Second, we prove a Skolem–Noether theorem for the action of $G$ on its Lie algebra; more precisely, two semisimple elements of the Lie algebra of $G$ which have the same characteristic polynomial must be conjugate under an element of $G$ if there are corresponding semisimple strata which are intertwined by an element of $G$.

We consider the algebraic group GL1 (A), where A is a division algebra of prime degree over a field F, and the associated motive in the Voevodsky category of motivic complexes (F). We relate the motive of GL1 (A) to the motive of the Čech simplicial scheme χ, associated to the Severi-Brauer variety of A, and compute the second differential in the resulting spectral sequence for motivic cohomology.

This paper provides congruences between unstable and stable automorphic forms for the symplectic similitude group GSp(4). More precisely, we raise the level of certain CAP representations Π arising from classical modular forms. We first transfer Π to π on a suitable inner form G; this is achieved by θ-lifting. For π, we prove a precise level-raising result that is inspired by the work of Bellaiche and Clozel and which relies on computations of Schmidt. We thus obtain a congruent to π, with a local component that is irreducibly induced from an unramified twist of the Steinberg representation of the Klingen parabolic. To transfer back to GSp(4), we use Arthur’s stable trace formula. Since has a local component of the above type, all endoscopic error terms vanish. Indeed, by results due to Weissauer, we only need to show that such a component does not participate in the θ-correspondence with any GO(4); this is an exercise in using Kudla’s filtration of the Jacquet modules of the Weil representation. We therefore obtain a cuspidal automorphic representation of GSp(4), congruent to Π, which is neither CAP nor endoscopic. It is crucial for our application that we can arrange for to have vectors fixed by the non-special maximal compact subgroups at all primes dividing N. Since G is necessarily ramified at some prime r, we have to show a non-special analogue of the fundamental lemma at r. Finally, we give an application of our main result to the Bloch–Kato conjecture, assuming a conjecture of Skinner and Urban on the rank of the monodromy operators at the primes dividing N.

An integer may be represented by a quadratic form over each ring of p-adic integers and over the reals without being represented by this quadratic form over the integers. More generally, such failure of a local-global principle may occur for the representation of one integral quadratic form by another integral quadratic form. We show that many such examples may be accounted for by a Brauer–Manin obstruction for the existence of integral points on schemes defined over the integers. For several types of homogeneous spaces of linear algebraic groups, this obstruction is shown to be the only obstruction to the existence of integral points.

The u-invariant u(K) of a field K is the smallest number such that every k-dimensional regular quadratic form over K is universal. Let O(V,f) be the orthogonal group of a finite-dimensional regular metric vector space over a field K of characteristic distinct from 2. Let π ∊ 0(V), B(π) := V(π - 1), dim[B(π) ∩ kernel(π - 1)] > u(K). Given λ1,..., λm ∊ K* where m := dim B(π) - u(K) + 1. Then π = σ1······σk where k := dim B(π) and σi is a symmetry with negative space Kai and f(ai, ai) = λi for i ∊ { 1 , . . . , m}. We prove similar theorems also for symplectic groups where transvections are taken as generators.