Theorem. Class Epstein zetas sum to a Dirichlet value [fdip-008Q]

The preceding section identifies a local factor with the discriminant character. The same character has a global sum over classes of binary forms. Let \(D<0\) be a fundamental discriminant: either \(D\equiv 1\pmod 4\) and \(D\) is squarefree, or \(D=4m\) with \(m\) squarefree and \(m\equiv 2\pmod 4\) or \(m\equiv 3\pmod 4\). A positive definite binary form of discriminant \(D\) is \(Q(x,y)=ax^2+bxy+cy^2\) with \(a>0\) and \(b^2-4ac=D\). Two such forms are equivalent when one is the other after an \(\mathrm {SL}_2(\mathbb Z)\) change of variables. Equivalent forms represent the same integers equally often, because the change of variables is a bijection of \(\mathbb Z^2\).

For \(\operatorname {Re}s>1\) the Epstein zeta of \(Q\) is \[E_Q(s)=\sum _{(x,y)\neq (0,0)}Q(x,y)^{-s}.\] Let \(\chi _D\) be the quadratic center character of \(D\). It is completely multiplicative, it vanishes when \(\gcd (n,|D|)>1\), and on an odd prime it is the Legendre symbol of Theorem [fdip-00A5]. The prime \(2\) is not given that reading. When \(D\) is even, \(\chi _D(2)=0\) because \(\gcd (2,|D|)>1\), which is the vanishing clause of the center note. When \(D\) is an odd fundamental discriminant, the value already stated in Proposition [fdip-0044] is \(\chi _D(2)=(-1)^{(D^2-1)/8}\), from [conradQuadraticCharacters, Corollary 3.1, p. 4]. That sign is \(1\) when \(D\equiv 1\pmod 8\) and \(-1\) when \(D\equiv 5\pmod 8\). This is the value of the symbol in the Euler factor \((1-\chi _D(2)\,2^{-s})^{-1}\) of the center note. Let \(w_D\) be the number of integer solutions of \(t^2-Du^2=4\). Write \(\zeta (s)=\sum _{n\ge 1}n^{-s}\) and write \(L(s,\chi _D)\) for the Euler product in the center note. Let \(\mathcal F\) contain one form from each equivalence class.

Then \[\sum _{Q\in \mathcal F}E_Q(s)=w_D\,\zeta (s)\,L(s,\chi _D).\] The weight is \(w_D=6\) when \(D=-3\), \(w_D=4\) when \(D=-4\), and \(w_D=2\) otherwise. For \(D=-4\) the only class is \(x^2+y^2\), so that one zeta equals \(4\zeta (s)L(s,\chi _{-4})\).

The identity concerns binary forms. The four-cycle precision has rank \(4\). Schiemann's papers of 1990 and 1997, which have not been read here, are not a step in the argument: this section does not claim that one theta series separates a quaternary form from the other forms in its genus.

The Weil index remains speculative. No product of local indices is proved here, and Weil's paper of 1964 has not been read for this note. The class sum does not identify an Epstein zeta with the real normalizer.