The number theory research group led by Prof David Loeffler studies the properties of the familiar whole numbers (integers) 1, 2, 3, .... The group focusses on problems involving finding integer solutions of algebraic equations: when these exist, how many there are, and how they are distributed.
Number theory is one of the oldest branches of mathematics, with a history stretching back to ancient Egypt, and is still one of the most active and intensively-studied branches of mathematics today. The number theory group at UniDistance specialises on applying algebraic and geometric methods to attack number-theoretic problems, such as the Birch—Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture (which is the primary focus of David Loeffler's ERC research grant) and the distribution of rational points on algebraic surfaces.
