The Asymptotic Fermat's Last Theorem for Five-Sixths of Real Quadratic Fields

Nuno Freitas, Samir Siksek

Published 2013-07-11, updated 2014-07-16Version 3

Let $K$ be a totally real field. By the asymptotic Fermat's Last Theorem over $K$ we mean the statement that there is a constant $B_K$ such that for prime exponents $p>B_K$ the only solutions to the Fermat equation $a^p + b^p + c^p = 0$ with $a$, $b$, $c$ in $K$ are the trivial ones satisfying $abc = 0$. With the help of modularity, level lowering and image of inertia comparisons we give an algorithmically testable criterion which if satisfied by $K$ implies the asymptotic Fermat's Last Theorem over $K$. Using techniques from analytic number theory, we show that our criterion is satisfied by $K = \mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{d})$ for a subset of $d$ having density $5/6$ among the squarefree positive integers. We can improve this to density 1 if we assume a standard "Eichler-Shimura" conjecture.