LMFDB definition

Sign of a Bianchi newform

Let FF be a Bianchi newform of level N\mathcal{N}. When N=(N)\mathcal{N}=(N) is principal, FF is an eigenform for the Fricke involution WNW_N defined by the matrix (0−1N0)\left(\begin{matrix}0&-1\\N&0\end{matrix}\right).

The sign of FF is minus the eigenvalue of WNW_N on FF. This is equal to the sign of the functional equation satisfied by the L-function attached to FF. It follows that the analytic rank of FF is even when FF has sign +1+1 and odd otherwise.

LMFDB source · reviewed

John Cremona, Andrew Sutherland. CC BY-SA 4.0. Snapshot 2026-09-22; formatting adapted for this site.

All definitions →