COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is the second semester of MIT's graduate sequence in number theory. The first semester (18.785) typically focuses on algebraic number theory, while the content of the second semester varies form year to year. This year our focus will be on modular forms and modular curves, following Diamond-Shurman and Miyake, along with some supplementary material on modular curves and Galois representations. See the syllabus for more details.
Prerequisite: The official prerequisite is 18.785, but this year 18.786 will be largely self-contained and students who have not taken 18.785 are welcome. No prior knowledge of modular forms will be assumed.
RECENT UPDATES
4-18-24 Notes for Lecture 16 have been posted.
4-12-24 Problem Set 5 has been posted. It is due by midnight on April 19.
4-12-24 Notes for Lectures 15 have been posted. Please review these, as they include a few results I did not have time to discuss in class.
4-04-24 Notes for Lectures 13 and 14 have been posted.
