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.