SEMINAR: Counting points beyond varieties

Guest: Ratko Darda, Sabanci University 

Title: Counting points beyond varieties

Date/Time: March 18, 2026, 13:40

Location: FENS G035

Abstract: Diophantine geometry studies solutions of polynomial equations in rational numbers. When such solutions exist, one may ask how many there are and how they are distributed. A central guiding problem in the field is Manin’s conjecture, which predicts the asymptotic behavior of rational points of bounded height on algebraic varieties. In this talk, I will explain how ideas coming from Manin’s conjecture can be used beyond the classical setting of varieties. This perspective gives insight into a priori unrelated counting problems, such as counting elliptic curves or counting field extensions.

Bio: Ratko Darda obtained his PhD from Université Paris Cité in 2021. He subsequently held a JSPS postdoctoral fellowship at Osaka University and a postdoctoral position at the University of Basel. He is currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow at Sabancı University. His research focuses on number theory, arithmetic geometry, and Diophantine geometry.