Recall how we defined the norm of Z[d] to be. N(α)=N(a+bd)=αα=a2−db2. We also showed that norms were multiplicative with the following proof:
N(αβ)=αβαβ=ααββ=N(α)N(β).
What can we do with this?
For convenience, let's work in Z[−d] so that N(a+bd)=a2+db2.
Let α=a+b−d and β=x+y−d. Then, we know that
αβ=(ax−bdy)+(ay+bx)−d.
Thus,
N(αβ)(ax−bdy)2+d(ay+bx)2=N(α)N(β)=(a2+db2)(x2+dy2).
If we let d=1, then we get the well-known identity,
(ax−by)2+(ay+bx)2=(a2+b2)(x2+y2).
This tells us that if two integers are the sum of two squares, then their product is also a sum of two squares.