Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 October 2017
There is a well-known analogy between integers and polynomials over 𝔽q, and a vast literature on analytic number theory for polynomials. From a geometric point of view, polynomials are equivalent to effective 0-cycles on the affine line. This leads one to ask: Can the analogy between integers and polynomials be extended to 0-cycles on more general varieties? In this paper we study prime factorisation of effective 0-cycles on an arbitrary connected variety V over 𝔽q, emphasizing the analogy between integers and 0-cycles. For example, inspired by the works of Granville and Rhoades, we prove that the prime factors of 0-cycles are typically Poisson distributed.