On the Function Field Analogue of Landau's Theorem on Sums of Squares

Abstract

This paper deals with function field analogues of the famous theorem of Landau which gives the asymptotic density of sums of two squares in $\mathbb{Z}$. We define the analogue of a sum of two squares in ${\mathbb{F}}_q[T]$ and estimate the number $B_q(n)$ of such polynomials of degree $n$ in two cases. The first case is when $q$ is large and $n$ fixed and the second case is when $n$ is large and $q$ is fixed. Although the methods used and main terms computed in each of the two cases differ, the two iterated limits of (a normalization of) $B_q(n)$ turn out to be exactly the same.