We describe algorithms for computing central values of twists of $L$-functions associated to Hilbert modular forms, carry out such computations for a number of examples, and compare the results of these computations to some heuristics and predictions from random matrix theory.

We develop algorithms to turn quotients of rings of integers into effective Euclidean rings by giving polynomial algorithms for all fundamental ring operations. In addition, we study normal forms for modules over such rings and their behavior under certain quotients. We illustrate the power of our ideas in a new modular normal form algorithm for modules over rings of integers, vastly outperforming classical algorithms.

Deciding whether an ideal of a number field is principal and finding a generator is a fundamental problem with many applications in computational number theory. For indefinite quaternion algebras, the decision problem reduces to that in the underlying number field. Finding a generator is hard, and we present a heuristically subexponential algorithm.

We describe how to compute the ideal class group and the unit group of an order in a number field in subexponential time. Our method relies on the generalized Riemann hypothesis and other usual heuristics concerning the smoothness of ideals. It applies to arbitrary classes of number fields, including those for which the degree goes to infinity.

Until recently, the ‘plus part’ of the class numbers of cyclotomic fields had only been determined for fields of root discriminant small enough to be treated by Odlyzko’s discriminant bounds.

However, by finding lower bounds for sums over prime ideals of the Hilbert class field, we can now establish upper bounds for class numbers of fields of larger discriminant. This new analytic upper bound, together with algebraic arguments concerning the divisibility properties of class numbers, allows us to unconditionally determine the class numbers of many cyclotomic fields that had previously been untreatable by any known method.

In this paper, we study in particular the cyclotomic fields of composite conductor.

Let $\mathcal{O}$ be a maximal order in a definite quaternion algebra over $\mathbb{Q}$ of prime discriminant $p$, and $\ell $ a small prime. We describe a probabilistic algorithm which, for a given left $\mathcal{O}$-ideal, computes a representative in its left ideal class of $\ell $-power norm. In practice the algorithm is efficient and, subject to heuristics on expected distributions of primes, runs in expected polynomial time. This solves the underlying problem for a quaternion analog of the Charles–Goren–Lauter hash function, and has security implications for the original CGL construction in terms of supersingular elliptic curves.