Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
If the core idea of Lu Zhou’s Group Structure Method for non-residual estimation of the modular prime numbers was from the large sieve method, then the Fourier analysis of the function on the circumference in the Helffgot’s thesis was the 1% left for his “core idea”.
Lu Zhou had completed this job up to “99%” since California. The remaining 1% that he required was the inspiration.
However, this last piece of the puzzle was now in Lu Zhou’s hands.
Lu Zhou did not wait for Charles’s lecture to finish before he packed his things and quietly left.
The professor on stage noticed him leaving. However, Charles merely smiled and pretended as if nothing had happened while he continued to speak in his slow voice about number theory.
Lu Zhou returned to his apartment and picked up a pen before he started to write on the draft paper.
His thoughts were flowing like a waterfall. Unstoppable!
He wrote five pages, six pages, seven pages…
Time slowly passed by.
The clock on the wall turned noon, then afternoon, then night.
Lu Zhou finished writing on the 16th page. He finally stopped the pen and looked at his research work.
“… Then this introduces Bombiere theorem, and the rest of the calculations are trivial… Done!”
Lu Zhou took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath and a smile finally emerged on his face.
Further down was the solution of Goldbach’s conjecture.
From now on, his “boat” was going into unknown territory.
However, he believed that he could do it.
This unreasonable but persistent belief was similar to what Andrew Wyles felt right after he saw the proof of Fermat’s last theorem.
When a tool was built, the mission of using the tool was nothing but a piece of cake.
The collection of over two centuries of research, several generations of Goldbach’s conjecture studies, finally came to this step.
Instead of arrogance, Lu Zhou only had honor in his heart.
He was honored to stand at the top of this building.
Lu Zhou took out his phone and sent a message to Deligne and his friends at Princeton. He told them that his research project was in its final stage and that he would be AFK for a while.
Then, he turned off his phone and locked himself in his tiny apartment…
If it went well, it should not take too long.
If it did not…
Then he would not be leaving his apartment!
…
The design of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study was very interesting. The research and the lecture hall were designed together. In the middle of a lecture, people could take a break and eat at the research hall.
Also, the coffee machine was free to use.
Deligne sat in a corner of the restaurant. He was holding a thesis.
As an academic editor of [Annual Mathematics] and [Mathematics Chronicle], he usually had very little spare time, so he used his lunchtime to review theses.
Unless it was a particularly interesting thesis, he would not bring it back to his office.
Sitting across Deligne was Edward Witten. Edward asked with a smile, “How come I haven’t seen your new PhD student recently?”
Among all of the PhD students at Princeton, Witten respected Lu Zhou the most. Especially after Lu Zhou’s mathematical physics talents were put to use at CERN’s report, Witten saw himself in Lu Zhou.
Witten always wanted to discuss the 750 GeV characteristic peak with the young man, but unfortunately, he had never had the chance.
Professor Deligne was looking at the thesis when he simply answered, “He took a vacation.”
Witten, “Vacation?”
“Yeah,” sad Deligne with a nod. He then said, “He’s been researching Goldbach’s conjecture, so I approved a two-week vacation.”
“Goldbach’s conjecture…” said Witten. He was slightly surprised. He then said, “This is an interesting conjecture. I thought he was studying the standard conjecture with your research group.”
Deligne made a mark on the thesis as he said, “I invited him, but he wasn’t interested, so I didn’t persist. For a genius like him, it’s better to give him freedom than to force him to do anything.”
Suddenly, the phone on the table vibrated.
Deligne looked at the text and his eyebrows twitched.
[Dear Professor Deligne, I’m your student, Lu Zhou. Here’s the thing, my research has entered a critical stage and I need to retreat for a while. It could take a month, or… I’m not sure. In short, before the end of the year, I will give you a satisfactory explanation.]
Although Edward did not see what was on the phone, he could tell what it was from his old friend’s change of expression. He then asked, “Do you think he will succeed?”
Professor Deligne placed down his phone. He was expressionless.
After thinking for a moment, he sighed and shook his head.
“I don’t know, I just don’t agree with his research method. Retreating isn’t a good research method as he could bring himself to a dead end. If he was going to a meeting or conference, I would support him. I could even financially support him. But as of now, from my knowledge, he’s been locking himself in his room.”
Witten smiled and said, “But you still support his decision?”
‘Yeah, I gave him a year,” said Deligne. He shrugged and said with a tone of uncertainty, “After all, I may be wrong. His twin prime conjecture discovery at Princeton really surprised me. It even created a type of illusion for me…”
Witten, “Illusion?”
Deligne was silent for a while. He then said, “It’s like I saw Grothendieck.”
Edward Witten was stunned.
Grothendieck!
Father of modern algebraic geometry, the pope of modern mathematics!
Many people liked to compare young mathematicians to Faltings, or even Jean-Pierre Searle. Very few people compared mathematicians to Grothendieck as it would be too big of an exaggeration.
There was no more than five young mathematicians that could be compared to Grothendieck.
After a while, Witten said slowly, “That is… quite surprising.”
