Currently, the best upper bounds on the number of rational points on an absolutely irreducible, smooth, projective algebraic curve of genus g defined over a finite field F_q come either from Serre's refinement of the Weil bound if the genus is small compared to q, or from Oesterle's optimization of the explicit formulae method if the genus is large.
This paper presents three methods for improving these bounds. The arguments used are the indecomposability of the theta divisor of a curve, Galois descent, and Honda-Tate theory. Examples of improvements on the bounds include lowering them for a wide range of small genus when q=2^3, 2^5, 2^{13}, 3^3, 3^5, 5^3, 5^7, and when q=2^{2s}, s>1. For large genera, isolated improvements are obtained for q=3,8,9.
The study of the birational properties of algebraic $k$-tori began in the sixties and seventies with work of Voskresenkii, Endo, Miyata, Colliot-Thélène and Sansuc. There was particular interest in determining the rationality of a given algebraic $k$-tori. As rationality problems for algebraic varieties are in general difficult, it is natural to consider relaxed notions such as stable rationality, or even retract rationality. Work of the above authors and later Saltman in the eighties determined necessary and sufficient conditions to determine when an algebraic torus is stably rational, respec…
The number of rational points of a plane non-singular algebraic curve X defined over a finite field is computed, provided that the generic point of X is not an inflexion and that X is Frobenius non-classical with respect to conics.
We prove Manin's conjecture concerning the distribution of rational points of bounded height, and its refinement by Peyre, for wonderful compactifications of semi-simple algebraic groups over number fields. The proof proceeds via the study of the associated height zeta function and its spectral expansion.
For a rational map $ϕ: X \to G$ from a normal algebraic variety $X$ to a commutative algebraic group $G$, we define the modulus of $ϕ$ as an effective divisor on $X$. We study the properties of the modulus. This work generalizes the known theories for curves to higher dimensional varieties.
Let $Z$ be a projective geometrically integral algebraic variety. This paper is concerned with estimating the number of rational points on $Z$ which have height at most $B$. The bounds obtained are uniform in varieties of fixed degree and fixed dimension, and are essentially best possible for varieties of degree at least six.
A collection of varieties satisfies uniform potential density if each of them contains a dense subset of rational points after extending its ground field by a bounded degree. In this paper, we prove that uniform potential density holds for connected algebraic groups of a fixed dimension over fields of characteristic zero as well as elliptic K3 surfaces over number fields.
Let G be a commutative algebraic group over Q. Let Gamma be a subgroup of G(Q) contained in the union of the compact subgroups of G(Q_p). We formulate a guess for the dimension of the closure of Gamma in G(Q_p), and show that its correctness for certain tori is equivalent to Leopoldt's conjecture.
We consider smooth projective curves C/$\mathbb{F}$ over a finite field and their symmetric squares $C^{(2)}$. For a global function field $K/\mathbb{F}$, we study the $K$-rational points of $C^{(2)}$. We describe the adelic points of $C^{(2)}$ surviving Frobenius descent and how the $K$-rational points fit there. Our methods also lead to an explicit bound on the number of $K$-rational points of $C^{(2)}$ satisfying an additional condition. Some of our results apply to arbitrary constant subvarieties of abelian varieties, however we produce examples which show that not all of our stronger conc…
Let X be an affine real algebraic set . We investigate on the theory of algebraically constructible functions on X and the description of the semi-algebraic subsets of X when we replace the polynomial functions on X by some rational continuous functions on X.
Rationality problems of algebraic k-tori are closely related to rationality problems of the invariant field, also known as Noether's Problem. We describe how a function field of algebraic k-tori can be identified as an invariant field under a group action and that a k-tori is rational if and only if its function field is rational over k. We also introduce character group of k-tori and numerical approach to determine rationality of k-tori.
We prove that for any of a wide class of elliptic surfaces $X$ defined over a number field $k$, if there is an algebraic point on $X$ that lies on only finitely many rational curves, then there is an algebraic point on $X$ that lies on no rational curves. In particular, our theorem applies to a large class of elliptic $K3$ surfaces, which relates to a question posed by Bogomolov in 1981. We apply our results to construct an explicit algebraic point on a $K3$ surface that does not lie on any smooth rational curves.
Comessatti proved that the set of real points of a rational real algebraic surface is either a nonorientable surface, or the two-sphere, or the torus. Conversely, it is easy to see that all of these surfaces admit a rational real algebraic model. We prove that they admit exactly one rational real algebraic model. This was known earlier only for the two-sphere, torus, projective plane and the Klein bottle.
Let $X$ be a variety defined over a number field and $f$ be a dominant rational self-map of $X$ of infinite order. We show that $X$ admits many algebraic points which are not preperiodic under $f$. If $f$ were regular and polarized, this would follow immediately from the theory of canonical heights, but it does not work very well for rational self-maps. We provide an elementary proof following an argument by Bell, Ghioca and Tucker (arxiv:0808.3266).
We formalize and study several competing notions of versality for an action of a linear algebraic group on an algebraic variety X. Our main result is that these notions of versality are equivalent to various statements concerning rational points on twisted forms of X (existence of rational points, existence of a dense set of rational points, etc.) We give applications of this equivalence in both directions, to study versality of group actions and rational points on algebraic varieties. We obtain similar results on p-versality for a prime integer p. An appendix, containing a letter from J.-P. S…
We give an algebro-geometric classification of smooth real affine algebraic surfaces endowed with an effective action of the real algebraic circle group $\mathbb{S}^1$ up to equivariant isomorphisms. As an application, we show that every compact differentiable surface endowed with an action of the circle $S^1$ admits a unique smooth rational real quasi-projective model up to $\mathbb{S}^1$-equivariant birational diffeomorphism.
We propose an algebraic geometric approach for studying rational solutions of first-order algebraic ordinary difference equations. For an autonomous first-order algebraic ordinary difference equations, we give an upper bound for the degrees of its rational solutions, and thus derive a complete algorithm for computing corresponding rational solutions.
We analyze the structure of a large class of connected algebraic rings over an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic using Greenberg's perfectization functor. We then give applications to rigidity problems for representations of Chevalley groups, recovering, in particular, a rigidity theorem of Seitz.
For any prime number $p$ and field $k$, we characterize the $p$-retract rationality of an algebraic $k$-torus in terms of its character lattice. We show that a $k$-torus is retract rational if and only if it is $p$-retract rational for every prime $p$, and that the Noether problem for retract rationality for a group of multiplicative type $G$ has an affirmative answer for $G$ if and only if the Noether problem for $p$-retract rationality for $G$ have a positive answer for all $p$. For every finite set of primes $S$ we give examples of tori that are $p$-retract rational if and only if $p\notin …
We prove that given any rational Hodge isometry $ψ:H^2(S_1,\mathbb{Q})\rightarrow H^2(S_2,\mathbb{Q})$ between any two Kähler $K3$ surfaces $S_1$ and $S_2$ the cohomology class of $ψ$ in $H^{2,2}(S_1\times S_2)$ is a polynomial in Chern classes of coherent analytic sheaves over $S_1 \times S_2$. Consequently, the cohomology class of $ψ$ is algebraic whenever $S_1$ and $S_2$ are algebraic.
We give a novel and effective criterion for algebraicity of rational normal analytic surfaces constructed from resolving the singularity of an irreducible curve-germ on $CP^2$ and contracting the strict transform of a given line and all but the `last' of the exceptional divisors. As a by-product we construct a new class of analytic non-algebraic rational normal surfaces which are `very close' to being algebraic. These results are local reformulations of some results in (Mondal, 2011) which sets up a correspondence between normal algebraic compactifications of $C^2$ with one irreducible curve a…
This is a detailed write-up of Kollár's course at the EMS summer school in Algebraic Geometry in Eger, Hungary, August 1996. The topics include definitions and examples of rational and unirational varieties, with special attention to varieties defined over non-algebraically closed fields, Segre's theorem on non-rationality of cubic surfaces of Picard number one, Manin's theorem that birationally equivalent cubic surfaces of Picard number one are projectively equivalent, and Kollár's method for constructing examples of low degree non-rational hypersurfaces. Includes many exercises and their sol…
For a finite dimensional vector space equipped with a $\mathbb C$-algebra structure, one can define rational maps using the algebraic structure. In this paper, we describe the growth of the degree sequences for this type of rational maps.
Elimination theory has many applications, in particular, it describes explicitly an image of a complex line under rational transformation and determines the number of common zeroes of two polynomials in one variable. We generalize classical elimination theory and create elimination theory along an algebraic curve using the notion of determinantal representation of algebraic curve. This new theory allows to describe explicitly an image of a plane algebraic curve under rational transformation and to determine the number of common zeroes of two polynomials in two variables on a plane algebraic cu…
Let $X$ be a real algebraic convex 3-manifold whose real part is equipped with a $Pin^-$ structure. We show that every irreducible real rational curve with non-empty real part has a canonical spinor state belonging to $\{\pm 1\}$. The main result is then that the algebraic count of the number of real irreducible rational curves in a given numerical equivalence class passing through the appropriate number of points does not depend on the choice of the real configuration of points, provided that these curves are counted with respect to their spinor states. These invariants provide lower bounds f…
For any regular noetherian scheme X and every k>0, we define a chain morphism between two chain complexes whose homology with rational coefficients is isomorphic to the algebraic K-groups of X tensored by the field of rational numbers. It is shown that these morphisms induce in homology the Adams operations defined by Gillet and Soule or the ones defined by Grayson.
The purpose of this paper is to translate positivity properties of the tangent bundle (and the anti-canonical bundle) of an algebraic manifold into existence and movability properties of rational curves and to investigate the impact on the global geometry of the manifold $X$. Among the results we prove are these: \quad If $X$ is a projective manifold, and ${\cal E} \subset T_X$ is an ample locally free sheaf with $n-2\ge rk {\cal E}\ge n$, then $X \simeq \EP_n$. \quad Let $X$ be a projective manifold. If $X$ is rationally connected, then there exists a free $T_X$-ample family of (rational) cur…
Cazanave has identified the algebraic homotopy class of a rational function of $1$ variable with an explicit nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form. Here we show that Hurwitz's proof of a classical result about real rational functions essentially gives an alternative proof of the stable part of Cazanave's result. We also explain how this result can be interpreted in terms of the residue pairing and that this interpretation relates the result to the signature theorem of Eisenbud, Khimshiashvili, and Levine, showing that Cazanave's result answers a question posed by Eisenbud for polynomial functi…
Let $\langle K,ν\rangle$ be a real closed valued field, and let $S\subseteq K^n$ be an open semi-algebraic set. Using tools from model theory, we find an algebraic characterization of rational functions which admit, on $S$, only values in the valuation ring. We use this result to deduce a criterion for a rational function to be bounded on an open semi algebraic subset of some irreducible variety over a real closed field or over an ordered field which is dense in its real closure.
Let $W$ be a subset of the set of real points of a real algebraic variety $X$. We investigate which functions $f: W \to \mathbb R$ are the restrictions of rational functions on $X$. We introduce two new notions: ${\it curve-rational \, functions}$ (i.e., continuous rational on algebraic curves) and ${\it arc-rational\, functions}$ (i.e., continuous rational on arcs of algebraic curves). We prove that under mild assumptions the following classes of functions coincide: continuous hereditarily rational (introduced recently by the first named author), curve-rational and arc-rational. In particular…
It is well known that the usual Huzita-Hatori axioms for origami enable angle trisection but not angle quintisection. Using the concept of a multifold, Lang has achieved quintisection but not arbitrary algebraic numbers. We define the n-parameter multifold and show how to use one-parameter multifolds to obtain the algebraic closure of the rational numbers.
We give the complete stably rational classification of algebraic tori of dimensions $4$ and $5$ over a field $k$. In particular, the stably rational classification of norm one tori whose Chevalley modules are of rank $4$ and $5$ is given. We show that there exist exactly $487$ (resp. $7$, resp. $216$) stably rational (resp. not stably but retract rational, resp. not retract rational) algebraic tori of dimension $4$, and there exist exactly $3051$ (resp. $25$, resp. $3003$) stably rational (resp. not stably but retract rational, resp. not retract rational) algebraic tori of dimension $5$. We ma…
The number A(q) shows the asymptotic behaviour of the quotient of the number of rational points over the genus of non-singular absolutely irreducible curves over a finite field Fq. Research on bounds for A(q) is closely connected with the so-called asymptotic main problem in Coding Theory. In this paper, we study some generalizations of this number for non-irreducible curves, their connection with A(q) and its application in Coding Theory.
We provide a notion of algebraic rational cell with applications to intersection theory on singular varieties with torus action. Based on this notion, we study the algebraic analogue of $\mathbb{Q}$-filtrable varieties: algebraic varieties where a torus acts with isolated fixed points, such that the associated Bialynicki-Birula decomposition consists of algebraic rational cells. We show that the rational equivariant Chow group of any $\mathbb{Q}$-filtrable variety is freely generated by the cell closures. We apply this result to group embeddings, and more generally to spherical varieties. This…
The normal connected sum construction of Gompf and the rational blowing-down technique of Fintushel - Stern are important tools in constructing symplectic 4-manifolds. In some cases, the 4-manifolds created this way are of Kahler type. In this article we investigate the occurrence of this phenomenon and give relevant examples.
We give a new example of a curve C algebraically, but not rationally, uniformized by radicals. This means that C has no map onto the projective line P^1 with solvable Galois group, while there exists a curve C' that maps onto C and has a finite morphism to P^1 with solvable Galois group. We construct such a curve C of genus 9 in the second symmetric product of a general curve of genus 2. It is also an example of a genus 9 curve that does not satisfy condition S(4,2,9) of Abramovich and Harris.
In this article, we study the jumping numbers of an ideal in the local ring at rational singularity on a complex algebraic surface. By understanding the contributions of reduced divisors on a fixed resolution, we are able to present an algorithm for finding of the jumping numbers of the ideal. This shows, in particular, how to compute the jumping numbers of a plane curve from the numerical data of its minimal resolution. In addition, the jumping numbers of the maximal ideal at the singular point in a Du Val or toric surface singularity are computed, and applications to the smooth case are expl…
Let X be an affine irreducible variety over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic zero. Given an automorphism F, we denote by k(X)^F its field of invariants, i.e. the set of rational functions f on X such that f(F)=f. Let n(F) be the transcendence degree of k(X)^F over k. In this paper, we study the class of automorphisms F of X for which n(F)= dim X - 1. More precisely, we show that under some conditions on X, every such automorphism is of the form F=A_g, where A is an algebraic action of a linear algebraic group G of dimension 1 on X, and where g belongs to G. As an application, …
We give a description of pairs of complex rational functions $A$ and $U$ of degree at least two such that for every $d\geq 1$ the algebraic curve $A^{\circ d}(x)-U(y)=0$ has a factor of genus zero or one. In particular, we show that if $A$ is not a `generalized Lattès map', then this condition is satisfied if and only if there exists a rational function $V$ such that $U\circ V=A^{\circ l}$ for some $l\geq 1.$ We also prove a version of the dynamical Mordell-Lang conjecture, concerning intersections of orbits of points from $\mathbb P^1(K)$ under iterates of $A$ with the value set $U(\mathbb P^…
We show that the results we had obtained on diagonals of nine and ten parameters families of rational functions using creative telescoping, yielding modular forms expressed as pullbacked $ _2F_1$ hypergeometric functions, can be obtained, much more efficiently, calculating the $ j$-invariant of an elliptic curve canonically associated with the denominator of the rational functions. In the case where creative telescoping yields pullbacked $ _2F_1$ hypergeometric functions, we generalize this result to other families of rational functions in three, and even more than three, variables. We also ge…
We study the rationality of the components of the conchoid to an irreducible algebraic affine plane curve, excluding the trivial cases of the isotropic lines, of the lines through the focus and the circle centered at the focus and radius the distance involved in the conchoid. We prove that conchoids having all their components rational can only be generated by rational curves. Moreover, we show that reducible conchoids to rational curves have always their two components rational. In addition, we prove that the rationality of the conchoid component, to a rational curve, does depend on the base …
Let f: Y -> CP^2 be a birational morphism of non-singular (rational) surfaces. We give an effective (necessary and sufficient) criterion for algebraicity of the surfaces resulting from contraction of the union of the strict transform of a line on CP^2 and all but one of the exceptional divisors of f. As a by-product we construct normal non-algebraic Moishezon surfaces with the `simplest possible' singularities, which in particular completes the answer to a remark of Grauert. Our criterion involves `global variants' of `key polynomials' introduced by MacLane. The geometric formulation of the cr…
The paper presents a new algorithmic construction of a finite generating set of rational invariants for the rational action of an algebraic group on the affine space. The construction provides an algebraic counterpart of the moving frame method in differential geometry. The generating set of rational invariants appears as the coefficients of a Groebner basis, reduction with respect to which allows to express a rational invariant in terms of the generators. The replacement invariants, introduced in the paper, are tuples of algebraic functions of the rational invariants. Any invariant, whether r…
We show how singularities shape the evolution of rational discrete dynamical systems. The stabilisation of the form of the iterates suggests a description providing among other things generalised Hirota form, exact evaluation of the algebraic entropy as well as remarkable polynomial factorisation properties. We illustrate the phenomenon explicitly with examples covering a wide range of models.
Given a parametrization of a rational plane algebraic curve C, some explicit adjoint pencils on C are described in terms of determinants. Moreover, some generators of the Rees algebra associated to this parametrization are presented. The main ingredient developed in this paper is a detailed study of the elimination ideal of two homogeneous polynomials in two homogeneous variables that form a regular sequence.
A smooth variety is called uniformly rational if every point admits a Zariski open neighborhood isomorphic to a Zariski open subset of the affine space. In this note we show that every smooth and rational affine variety endowed with an algebraic torus action such that the algebraic quotient has dimension 0 or 1 is uniformly rational.
We show that the problem of constructing telescopers for functions of m variables is equivalent to the problem of constructing telescopers for algebraic functions of m -1 variables and present a new algorithm to construct telescopers for algebraic functions of two variables. These considerations are based on analyzing the residues of the input. According to experiments, the resulting algorithm for rational functions of three variables is faster than known algorithms, at least in some examples of combinatorial interest. The algorithm for algebraic functions implies a new bound on the order of t…
Let $\mathbf{x}=(x,y)$. A projective 2-dimensional flow is a solution to a 2-dimensional projective translation equation (PrTE) $(1-z)ϕ(\mathbf{x})=ϕ(ϕ(\mathbf{x}z)(1-z)/z)$, $ϕ:\mathbb{C}^{2}\mapsto\mathbb{C}^{2}$. Previously we have found all solutions of the PrTE which are rational functions. The rational flow gives rise to a vector field $\varpi(x,y)\bullet\varrho(x,y)$ which is a pair of 2-homogenic rational functions. On the other hand, only very special pairs of 2-homogenic rational functions, as vector fields, give rise to rational flows. The main ingredient in the proof of the classif…
In this paper we classify the singular curves whose theta divisors in their generalized Jacobians are algebraic, meaning that they are cut out by polynomial analogs of theta functions. We also determine the degree of an algebraic theta divisor in terms of the singularities of the curve. Furthermore, we show a precise relation between such algebraic theta functions and the corresponding tau functions for the KP hierarchy.
The work of M. S. Livšic and his collaborators in operator theory associates to a system of commuting nonselfadjoint operators an algebraic curve. Guided by the notion of rational transformation of algebraic curves, we define the notion of a rational transformation of a system of commuting nonselfadjoint operators.
We combine the newly discovered technique, which computes explicit formulas for the image of an algebraic curve under rational transformation, with techniques that enable to compute braid monodromies of such curves. We use this combination in order to study properties of the braid monodromy of the image of curves under a given rational transformation. A description of the general method is given along with full classification of the images of two intersecting lines under degree 2 rational transformation. We also establish a connection between degree 2 rational transformations and the local bra…
We prove that if a linear equation, whose coefficients are continuous rational functions on a nonsingular real algebraic surface, has a continuous solution, then it also has a continuous rational solution. This is known to fail in higher dimensions.
In this paper, we study the algebraic, rational and formal Puiseux series solutions of certain type of systems of autonomous ordinary differential equations. More precisely, we deal with systems which associated algebraic set is of dimension one. We establish a relationship between the solutions of the system and the solutions of an associated first order autonomous ordinary differential equation, that we call the reduced differential equation. Using results on such equations, we prove the convergence of the formal Puiseux series solutions of the system, expanded around a finite point or at in…
This survey paper discusses some of the recent progress in the study of rational curves on algebraic varieties. It was written for the survey volume of the priority programme "Global Methods in Complex Geometry", supported by the DFG. To start, we discuss existence results for rational curves on foliated manifolds. We construct the tangent morphism, define the variety of minimal rational tangents (VMRT) and name a number of results that show that many of the geometry properies of a uniruled variety are encoded in the projective geometry of the VMRT. The results are then applied in two differen…
