An overview of Manin's conjecture for del Pezzo surfaces

A conjecture of Manin predicts the asymptotic distribution of rational points of bounded height on Fano varieties. In this paper we use conic bundles to obtain correct lower bounds or a wide class of surfaces over number fields for which the conjecture is still far from being proved. For example, we obtain the conjectured lower bound of Manin's conjecture for any del Pezzo surface whose Picard rank is sufficiently large, or for arbitrary del Pezzo surfaces after possibly an e...

We study the space of rational curves on del Pezzo surfaces in positive characteristic. For most primes p we prove the irreducibility of the moduli space of rational curves of a given nef class, extending results of Testa in characteristic 0. We also investigate the principles of Geometric Manin's Conjecture for weak del Pezzo surfaces. In the course of this investigation, we give examples of weak del Pezzo surfaces defined over $\mathbb{F}_{2}(t)$ or $\mathbb{F}_{3}(t)$ such...

Let $X$ be a del Pezzo surface over the function field of a complex curve. We study the behavior of rational points on $X$ leading to bounds on the counting function in Geometric Manin's Conjecture. A key tool is the Movable Bend and Break Lemma which yields an inductive approach to classifying relatively free sections for a del Pezzo fibration over a curve. Using this lemma we prove Geometric Manin's Conjecture for certain split del Pezzo surfaces of degree $\geq 2$ admittin...

We establish Manin's conjecture for a quartic del Pezzo surface split over Q and having a singularity of type A_3 and containing exactly four lines. It is the first example of split singular quartic del Pezzo surface whose universal torsor is not a hypersurface for which Manin's conjecture is proved.

We prove Manin's conjecture for a split singular quartic del Pezzo surface with singularity type $2\Aone$ and eight lines. This is achieved by equipping the surface with a conic bundle structure. To handle the sum over the family of conics, we prove a result of independent interest on a certain restricted divisor problem for four binary linear forms.

We prove a version of Manin's conjecture for a certain family of intrinsic quadrics, the base field being a global field of positive characteristic. We also explain how a very slight variation of the method we use allows to establish the conjecture for a certain generalized del Pezzo surface.

In this paper we give an asymptotic formula for the quantity of diagonal del Pezzo surfaces of degree 2 which have a Brauer-Manin obstruction to the Hasse principle when ordered by height.

We discuss Manin's conjecture concerning the distribution of rational points of bounded height on Del Pezzo surfaces, and its refinement by Peyre, and explain applications of universal torsors to counting problems. To illustrate the method, we provide a proof of Manin's conjecture for the unique split singular quartic Del Pezzo surface with a singularity of type D4. (Lectures at the summer school "Equidistribution in number theory", Montreal, August 2005)

We prove Manin's conjecture for four singular quartic del Pezzo surfaces over imaginary quadratic number fields, using the universal torsor method.

We prove Manin's conjecture for a del Pezzo surface of degree six which has one singularity of type $\mathbf{A}_2$. Moreover, we achieve a meromorphic continuation and explicit expression of the associated height zeta function.