Norbert Schappacher, Technische Universität Darmstadt
Kurt Heegner - an outsider in number theory
In 1952, the Berlin radio engineer Kurt Heegner published
an article in Mathematische Zeitschrift solving Gauss's Class
Number Problem, i.e., one of the outstanding challenges that C.F. Gauss
had put forward in his seminal book Disquisitiones Arithmeticae
of 1801. But the professional mathematicians failed to accept his
solution. It was only after Heegner's death that his proof was
recognized as such. And since then, the idea of so-called "Heegner points"
has developed into the most successful attack to date on the famous
Conjecture of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer.
The talk will present some new material on Heegner's life and
mathematical work, and give a survey of the mathematics around
"Heegner points". More generally, the lecture will be an occasion to
reflect on the influence of non-professional authors in modern
mathematics, of which Heegner is not the only example, even if there
are not many.