We study universal quadratic forms over totally real number fields using Dedekind zeta functions. In particular, we prove an explicit upper bound for the rank of universal quadratic forms over a given number field $K$, under the assumption that the codifferent of $K$ is generated by a totally positive element. Motivated by a possible path to remove that assumption, we also investigate the smallest number of generators for the positive part of ideals in totally real numbers fields.
Categories: math.NT