An arithmetic count of the lines meeting four lines in P^3


Abstract in English

We enrich the classical count that there are two complex lines meeting four lines in space to an equality of isomorphism classes of bilinear forms. For any field $k$, this enrichment counts the number of lines meeting four lines defined over $k$ in $mathbb{P}^3_k$, with such lines weighted by their fields of definition together with information about the cross-ratio of the intersection points and spanning planes. We generalize this example to an infinite family of such enrichments, obtained using an Euler number in $mathbb{A}^1$-homotopy theory. The classical counts are recovered by taking the rank of the bilinear forms. In the appendix, the condition that the four lines each be defined over $k$ is relaxed to the condition that the set of four lines being defined over $k$.

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