2-Selmer Groups and the Birch-Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture for the Congruent Number Curve

Abstract

We take an approach toward counting the number of n for which the curves E_n: y^2=x^3-n^2x have 2-Selmer groups of a given size. This question was also discussed in a pair of Invent. Math. papers by Roger Heath-Brown. We discuss the connection between computing the size of these Selmer groups and verifying cases of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture. The key ingredient for the asymptotic formulae is the ``independence'' of the Legendre symbol evaluated at the prime divisors of an integer with exactly k prime factors.