For any subset $Z \subseteq {\mathbb {Q}}$, consider the set $S_Z$ of subfields $L\subseteq {\overline {\mathbb {Q}}}$ which contain a co-infinite subset $C \subseteq L$ that is universally definable in L such that $C \cap {\mathbb {Q}}=Z$. Placing a natural topology on the set ${\operatorname {Sub}({\overline {\mathbb {Q}}})}$ of subfields of ${\overline {\mathbb {Q}}}$, we show that if Z is not thin in ${\mathbb {Q}}$, then $S_Z$ is meager in ${\operatorname {Sub}({\overline {\mathbb {Q}}})}$. Here, thin and meager both mean “small”, in terms of arithmetic geometry and topology, respectively. For example, this implies that only a meager set of fields L have the property that the ring of algebraic integers $\mathcal {O}_L$ is universally definable in L. The main tools are Hilbert’s Irreducibility Theorem and a new normal form theorem for existential definitions. The normal form theorem, which may be of independent interest, says roughly that every $\exists $-definable subset of an algebraic extension of ${\mathbb Q}$ is a finite union of single points and projections of hypersurfaces defined by absolutely irreducible polynomials.

Let $K$ be a number field with a ring of integers ${\mathcal{O}}$. We follow Ferraguti and Micheli [‘On the Mertens–Cèsaro theorem for number fields’, Bull. Aust. Math. Soc.93(2) (2016), 199–210] to define a density for subsets of ${\mathcal{O}}$ and use it to find the density of the set of $j$-wise relatively $r$-prime $m$-tuples of algebraic integers. This provides a generalisation and analogue for several results on natural densities of integers and ideals of algebraic integers.

Let $K$ be a number field with ring of integers ${\mathcal{O}}$. After introducing a suitable notion of density for subsets of ${\mathcal{O}}$, generalising the natural density for subsets of $\mathbb{Z}$, we show that the density of the set of coprime $m$-tuples of algebraic integers is $1/{\it\zeta}_{K}(m)$, where ${\it\zeta}_{K}$ is the Dedekind zeta function of $K$. This generalises a result found independently by Mertens [‘Ueber einige asymptotische Gesetze der Zahlentheorie’, J. reine angew. Math. 77 (1874), 289–338] and Cesàro [‘Question 75 (solution)’, Mathesis 3 (1883), 224–225] concerning the density of coprime pairs of integers in $\mathbb{Z}$.

Let K be a complete discrete valuation field of characteristic zero with residue field kK of characteristic p>0. Let L/K be a finite Galois extension with Galois group G=Gal(L/K) and suppose that the induced extension of residue fields kL/kK is separable. Let 𝕎n(⋅) denote the ring of p-typical Witt vectors of length n. Hesselholt [‘Galois cohomology of Witt vectors of algebraic integers’, Math. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc.137(3) (2004), 551–557] conjectured that the pro-abelian group {H1 (G,𝕎n (𝒪L))}n≥1 is isomorphic to zero. Hogadi and Pisolkar [‘On the cohomology of Witt vectors of p-adic integers and a conjecture of Hesselholt’, J. Number Theory131(10) (2011), 1797–1807] have recently provided a proof of this conjecture. In this paper, we provide a simplified version of the original proof which avoids many of the calculations present in that version.

Let $q$ be an algebraic integer of degree $d\ge 2$. Consider the rank of the multiplicative subgroup of ${{\mathbb{C}}^{*}}$ generated by the conjugates of $q$. We say $q$ is of full rank if either the rank is $d-1$ and $q$ has norm $\pm 1$, or the rank is $d$. In this paper we study some properties of $\mathbb{Z}[q]$ where $q$ is an algebraic integer of full rank. The special cases of when $q$ is a Pisot number and when $q$ is a Pisot-cyclotomic number are also studied. There are four main results.

1. (1) If $q$ is an algebraic integer of full rank and $n$ is a fixed positive integer, then there are only finitely many $m$ such that $\text{disc}\left( \mathbb{Z}\left[ {{q}^{m}} \right] \right)=\text{disc}\left( \mathbb{Z}\left[ {{q}^{n}} \right] \right)$.

2. (2) If $q$ and $r$ are algebraic integers of degree $d$ of full rank and $\mathbb{Z}[{{q}^{n}}]=\mathbb{Z}[{{r}^{n}}]$ for infinitely many $n$, then either $q=\omega {r}'$ or $q=\text{Norm}{{(r)}^{2/d}}\omega /r'$ , where $r'$ is some conjugate of $r$ and $\omega $ is some root of unity.

3. (3) Let $r$ be an algebraic integer of degree at most 3. Then there are at most 40 Pisot numbers $q$ such that $\mathbb{Z}[q]=\mathbb{Z}[r]$.

4. (4) There are only finitely many Pisot-cyclotomic numbers of any fixed order.

Building on the work of Davenport and Schmidt, we mainly prove two results. The first one is a version of Gel'fond's transcendence criterion which provides a sufficient condition for a complex or p-adic number $\xi$ to be algebraic in terms of the existence of polynomials of bounded degree taking small values at $\xi$ together with most of their derivatives. The second one, which follows from this criterion by an argument of duality, is a result of simultaneous approximation by conjugate algebraic integers for a fixed number $\xi$ that is either transcendental or algebraic of sufficiently large degree. We also present several constructions showing that these results are essentially optimal.

In 1969, H. Davenport and W. M. Schmidt studied the problem of approximation to a real number $\xi$ by algebraic integers of degree at most 3. They did so, using geometry of numbers, by resorting to the dual problem of finding simultaneous approximations to $\xi$ and $\xi^2$ by rational numbers with the same denominator. In this paper, we show that their measure of approximation for the dual problem is optimal and that it is realized for a countable set of real numbers $\xi$. We give several properties of these numbers including measures of approximation by rational numbers, by quadratic real numbers and by algebraic integers of degree at most 3.