We split the program of explicit descent of elliptic curves into two parts. For $n=3$ and $n=5,$ we first display a model for the universal elliptic curve $E$ with full level $n$ structure and describe the map of rational points of $E$ to the cohomology group $H^1(G, E[n]).$ Second, we find models in $\PP^{n-1}$ of principal homogeneous spaces of $E$ corresponding to all possible elements of $H^1(G, E[n]),$ i.e. for those elements with trivial period-index obstruction. For this we use the relationship established in \cite{me2} between the period-index obstruction and the norm symbol, a generalization of the Hilbert symbol.
We provide a relation between Brauer-Manin obstruction and descent obstruction for torsors over open varieties under a connected linear algebraic group or a group of multiplicative type is given. Such a relation is further refined for torsors under a torus. As an appliaction, we prove that the semi-simple part of a connected linear algebraic group will satisfy strong approximation with Brauer-Manin obstruction if G iteself satisfies strong approximation with Brauer-Manin obstruction.The equivalence between descent obstruction and etale Brauer-Manin obstruction for smooth projective varieties i…
Let $S$ be a finite set of primes. We prove that a form of finite Galois descent obstruction is the only obstruction to the existence of $\mathbb{Z}_{S}$-points on integral models of Hilbert modular varieties, extending a result of D.Helm and F.Voloch about modular curves. Let $L$ be a totally real field. Under (a special case of) the absolute Hodge conjecture and a weak Serre's conjecture for mod $\ell$ representations of the absolute Galois group of $L$, we prove that the same holds also for the $\mathcal{O}_{L,S}$-points.
Let k be a number field and X a smooth projective k-variety. In this paper, we study the information obtainable from descent via torsors under finite k-group schemes on the location of the k-rational points on X within the adelic points. Our main result is that if a curve C/k maps nontrivially into an abelian variety A/k such that A(k) is finite and Sha(k,A) has no nontrivial divisible elements, then the information coming from finite abelian descent cuts out precisely the rational points of C. We conjecture that this is the case for all curves of genus at least 2. We relate finite descent obs…
We extend the notion of rational points and cohomological obstructions on varieties to categories fibred in groupoids. We also establish the generalized theory of descent by torsors. Then we interpret the obstruction given by the second cohomology of abelian sheaves in terms of categorical points of gerbes, analogue to descent by torsors. As an application, we construct some composite obstructions not larger than the descent obstruction. We also propose some new kinds of obstructions including the derived obstruction, which has good behavior under a product and is also not larger than the desc…
Nous montrons comment associer à une gerbe définie sur un corps de nombres une obstruction de Brauer-Manin mesurant, comme dans le cas des variétés, le défaut d'existence d'une section globale. Ceci nous conduit à une généralisation de la dualité de Tate-Poitou au cas non-abélien. We find a way to associate to a gerbe defined over a number field a Brauer-Manin obstruction, which measures, as for varieties, the defect to the existence of a global section. This leads us to a generalization of Tate-Poitou duality in the non-abelian case.
For a nice algebraic variety $X$ over a number field $F$, one of the central problems of Diophantine Geometry is to locate precisely the set $X(F)$ inside $X(\A_F)$, where $\A_F$ denotes the ring of adèles of $F$. One approach to this problem is provided by the finite descent obstruction, which is defined to be the set of adelic points which can be lifted to twists of torsors for (certain) finite étale group schemes over $F$ on $X$. More recently, Kim proposed an iterative construction of another subset of $X(\A_F)$ which contains the set of rational points. In this paper, we compare the two c…
We give large families of Shimura curves defined by congruence conditions, all of whose twists lack $p$-adic points for some $p$. For each such curve we give analytically large families of counterexamples to the Hasse principle via the descent (or equivalently étale Brauer-Manin) obstruction to rational points applied to étale coverings coming from the level structure. More precisely, we find infinitely many quadratic fields defined using congruence conditions such that a twist of a related Shimura curve by each of those fields violates the Hasse principle. As a minimal example, we find the tw…
We show how to transport descent obstructions from the category of covers to the category of varieties. We deduce examples of curves having $\QQ$ as field of moduli, that admit models over every completion of $\QQ$, but have no model over $\QQ$.
We study the section conjecture of anabelian geometry and the sufficiency of the finite descent obstruction to the Hasse principle for the moduli spaces of principally polarized abelian varieties and of curves over number fields. For the former we show that the section conjecture fails and the finite descent obstruction holds for a general class of adelic points, assuming several well-known conjectures. This is done by relating the problem to a local-global principle for Galois representations. For the latter, we prove some partial results that indicate that the finite descent obstruction suff…
A torsor under a k-group scheme G on a variety X over a number field k imposes a descent obstruction against the existence of rational points on X. We discuss the finite descent obstruction, that is for all such torsors under finite k-groups G, in view of a local-global interpolation property for sections of the fundamental group short exact sequence of X/k. There are applications to the Brauer-Manin obstruction, to the descent obstruction by torsors under linear groups, and to the birational version of Grothendieck's section conjecture over number fields. In particular, we obtain examples of …
This paper is devoted to the explicit description of the Galois descent obstruction for hyperelliptic curves of arbitrary genus whose reduced automorphism group is cyclic of order coprime to the characteristic of their ground field. Along the way, we obtain an arithmetic criterion for the existence of a hyperelliptic descent. The obstruction is described by the so-called arithmetic dihedral invariants of the curves in question. If it vanishes, then the use of these invariants also allows the explicit determination of a model over the field of moduli; if not, then one obtains a hyperelliptic mo…
We show that a positive proportion of cubic fields are not monogenic, despite having no local obstruction to being monogenic. Our proof involves the comparison of $2$-descent and $3$-descent in a certain family of Mordell curves $E_k \colon y^2 = x^3 + k$. As a by-product of our methods, we show that, for every $r \geq 0$, a positive proportion of curves $E_k$ have Tate--Shafarevich group with $3$-rank at least $r$.
We extend the descent theory of Colliot-Thélène and Sansuc to arbitrary smooth algebraic varieties by removing the condition that every invertible regular function is constant. This links the Brauer--Manin obstruction for integral points on arithmetic schemes to the obstructions defined by torsors under groups of multiplicative type.
Comparing local-global obstructions on algebraic stacks
State Key Laboratory of Cyberspace Security Defense Institute of Information Engineering Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院信息工程研究所网络空间安全防御国家重点实验室）；Hubei Key Laboratory of Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics and Statistics, Hubei University（湖北大学数学与统计学院应用数学湖北省重点实验室）；School of Mathematical Sciences, Beihang University（北京航空航天大学数学科学学院）
Let $k$ be a field of characteristic 0 and $G$ a linear algebraic $k$-group. When $G$ is abelian, it is well known that torsors under $G_{X}$ over a $k$-scheme $π:X\to \textup{Spec} k$ provide an obstruction to the existence of $k$-rational points on $X$, since Leray spectral sequence gives rise (when $X$ is 'nice', e.g. $X$ smooth and proper) to an exact sequence of groups (5-term exact sequence associated). This sequence gives an obstruction for a $\bar{G}_{X}$-torsor $\bar{P}\to\bar{X}$ with field of moduli $k$ to be defined over $k$, i.e. to be obtained by extension of scalars to the algeb…
Let $\mathbb{F}$ be a finite field and $C,D$ smooth, geometrically irreducible proper curves over $\mathbb{F}$ and set $K = \mathbb{F}(D)$. We consider Brauer-Manin and abelian descent obstructions to the existence of rational points and to weak approximation for the curve $C \otimes_\mathbb{F} K$. In particular, we show that Brauer-Manin is the only obstruction to weak approximation and the Hasse principle in the case that the genus of $D$ is less than that of $C$. We also show that we can identify the points corresponding to non-constant maps $D \to C$ using Frobenius descents.
In this article, we study the obstructions to the local-global principle for homogeneous spaces with connected or abelian stabilizers over finite extensions of the field $\mathbb{C}((x,y))$ of Laurent series in two variables over the complex numbers and over function fields of curves over $\mathbb{C}((t))$. We give examples that prove that the usual Brauer-Manin obstruction is not enough to explain the failure of the local-global principle, and we then construct a variant of this obstruction using torsors under quasi-trivial tori which turns out to work. In the end of the article, we compare t…
The aim of this paper is to revisit the question of local-global principles for embeddings of étale algebras with involution into central simple algebras with involution over global fields of characteristic not 2. A necessary and sufficient condition is given in [BLP 18]. In the present paper, we give a simpler description of the obstruction group. It is also shown that if the etale algebra is a product of pairwise linearly disjoint field extensions, then the Hasse principle holds, and that if an embedding exists after an odd degree extension, then it also exists over the global field itself. …
Let F be a number field, and let F\subset K be a field extension of degree n. Suppose that we are given 2r sufficiently general linear polynomials in r variables over F. Let X be the variety over F such that the F-points of X bijectively correspond to the representations of the product of these polynomials by a norm from K to F. Combining the circle method with descent we prove that the Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only obstruction to the Hasse principle and weak approximation on any smooth and projective model of X.
We investigate local-global principles for multinorm equations over a global field. To this extent, we generalize work of Drakokhrust and Platonov to provide explicit and computable formulae for the obstructions to the Hasse principle and weak approximation for multinorm equations. We illustrate the scope of this technique by extending results of Bayer-Fluckiger--Lee--Parimala, Demarche--Wei and Pollio.
For a curve over a global field we consider for which integers d the d-primary part of the Brauer group can obstruct the existence of rational points. We give examples showing it is possible that there is a d-primary obstruction for infinitely many relatively coprime d, and also an example where the odd part of the Brauer group does not obstruct although there is a Brauer-Manin obstruction. These examples demonstrate that a slightly stronger form of a conjecture of Poonen is false, despite being supported by the same heuristic.
Embeddings of maximal tori into classical groups over global fields of characteristic not 2 are the subject matter of several recent papers, with special attention to the Hasse principle. The present paper gives necessary and sufficient conditions for this embedding problem, and in particular for the Hasse principle to hold. Using work of Borovoi, this is interpreted as a Brauer-Manin type obstruction.
Let r > 0 be an integer. We present a sufficient condition for an abelian variety A over a number field k to have infinitely many quadratic twists of rank at least r, in terms of density properties of rational points on the Kummer variety Km(A^r) of the r-fold product of A with itself. One consequence of our results is the following. Fix an abelian variety A over k, and suppose that for some r > 0 the Brauer-Manin obstruction to weak approximation on the Kummer variety Km(A^r) is the only one. Then A has a quadratic twist of rank at least r. Hence if the Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only on…
We establish arithmetic duality theorems for short complexes associated to reductive groups over $p$-adic function fields. Using dualities, we deduce obstructions to weak approximation for certain reductive groups (especially quasi-split ones) and relate this obstruction to an unramified Galois cohomology group.
Recently Dasheng Wei proved that the Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only obstruction to the Hasse principle for 0-cycles of degree 1 on some fibrations over the projective line defined by bi-cyclic normic equations. In the present paper, we prove the exactness of the global-to-local sequence for Chow groups of 0-cycles of such varieties, which signifies that the Brauer-Manin obstruction is also the only obstruction to weak approximation for 0-cycles of arbitrary degree. Our main theorem also generalizes several existing results.
We show that if over some number field there exists a certain diagonal plane cubic curve that is locally solvable everywhere, but that does not have points over any cubic galois extension of the number field, then the algebraic part of the Brauer-Manin obstruction is not the only obstruction to the Hasse principle for K3 surfaces.
We construct a conic bundle over an elliptic curve over a real quadratic field that is a counterexample to the Hasse principle not explained by the étale Brauer-Manin obstruction. We also give simple examples of threefolds with the same property that are families of 2-dimensional quadrics, and discuss some other examples and general properties of the Brauer-Manin obstruction.
We consider local-global principles for rational points on varieties, in particular torsors, over one-variable function fields over complete discretely valued fields. There are several notions of such principles, arising either from the valuation theory of the function field, or from the geometry of a regular model of the function field. Our results compare the corresponding obstructions, proving in particular that a local-global principle with respect to valuations implies a local-global principle with respect to a sufficiently fine regular model.
An integer may be represented by a quadratic form over each ring of p-adic integers and over the reals without being represented by this quadratic form over the integers. More generally, such failure of a local-global principle may occur for the representation of one integral quadratic form by another integral quadratic form. We show that many such examples may be accounted for by a Brauer-Manin obstruction for the existence of integral points on schemes defined over the integers. For several types of homogeneous spaces of linear algebraic groups, this obstruction is shown to be the only obstr…
We prove that for a large class of subvarieties of abelian varieties over global function fields, the Brauer-Manin condition on adelic points cuts out exactly the rational points. This result is obtained from more general results concerning the intersection of the adelic points of a subvariety with the adelic closure of the group of rational points of the abelian variety.
Let $X$ be a cubic surface over a global field $k$. We prove that a Brauer-Manin obstruction to the existence of $k$-points on $X$ will persist over every extension $L/k$ with degree relatively prime to $3$. In other words, a cubic surface has nonempty Brauer set over $k$ if and only if it has nonempty Brauer set over some extension $L/k$ with $3\nmid[L:k]$. Therefore, the conjecture of Colliot-Thélène and Sansuc on the sufficiency of the Brauer-Manin obstruction for cubic surfaces implies that $X$ has a $k$-rational point if and only if $X$ has a $0$-cycle of degree $1$. This latter statement…
In 2011, Vàrilly-Alvarado and the last author constructed an Enriques surface $X$ over $\mathbb{Q}$ with an étale-Brauer obstruction to the Hasse principle and no algebraic Brauer-Manin obstruction. In this paper, we show that the nontrivial Brauer class of $X_{\bar{\mathbb{Q}}}$ does not descend to $\mathbb{Q}$. Together with the results of Vàrilly-Alvarado and the last author, this proves that the Brauer-Manin obstruction is insufficient to explain all failures of the Hasse principle on Enriques surfaces. The methods of this paper build on the ideas in several recent papers by the last autho…
We show that the elementary obstruction to the existence of 0-cycles of degree 1 on an arbitrary variety X (over an arbitrary field) can be expressed in terms of the Albanese 1-motives associated with dense open subsets of X. Arithmetic applications are given.
We study the Brauer-Manin obstruction to the existence of zero-cycles of degree $d$ on certain classes of varieties over number fields. We generalise existing results in the literature and prove some results about fibrations over the projective line, where the geometric Brauer group of the generic fibre is not assumed to be finite. The idea is to assume that the Brauer-Manin obstruction to the Hasse principle is the only one for certain fibres and then deduce analogous results for zero-cycles.
We show that, for every integer $1 \leq d \leq 4$ and every finite set $S$ of places, there exists a degree $d$ del Pezzo surface $X$ over ${\mathbb Q}$ such that ${\rm Br}(X)/{\rm Br}({\mathbb Q}) \cong {\mathbb Z}/2{\mathbb Z}$ and the Brauer-Manin obstruction works exactly at the places in $S$. For $d = 4$, we prove that in all cases, with the exception of $S = \{\infty\}$, this surface may be chosen diagonalizably over ${\mathbb Q}$.
We analyze the Brauer-Manin obstruction to rational points on the K3 surfaces over $\mathbb{Q}$ given by double covers of $\mathbb{P}^2$ ramified over a diagonal sextic. After finding an explicit set of generators for the geometric Picard group of such a surface, we find two types of infinite families of counterexamples to the Hasse principle explained by the algebraic Brauer-Manin obstruction. The first type of obstruction comes from a quaternion algebra, and the second type comes from a 3-torsion element of the Brauer group, which gives an affirmative answer to a question asked by Ieronymou …
We give an algorithm that takes a smooth hypersurface over a number field and computes a $p$-adic approximation of the obstruction map on the Tate classes of a finite reduction. This gives an upper bound on the "middle Picard number" of the hypersurface. The improvement over existing methods is that our method relies only on a single prime reduction and gives the possibility of cutting down on the dimension of Tate classes by two or more. The obstruction map comes from $p$-adic variational Hodge conjecture and we rely on the recent advancement by Bloch-Esnault-Kerz to interpret our bounds.
In this article, we study obstructions to weak approximation for connected linear groups and homogeneous spaces with connected or abelian stabilizers over finite extensions of $\mathbb C((x,y))$ or function fields of curves over $\mathbb C((t))$. We show that for connected linear groups, the usual Brauer-Manin obstruction works as in the case of tori. However, this Brauer-Manin obstruction is not enough for homogeneous spaces, as shown by the examples we give. We then construct an obstruction using torsors under quasi-trivial tori that explains the failure of weak-approximation.
Let X be a smooth variety over a number field k embedded as a degree d subvariety of $\mathbb{P}^n$ and suppose that X is a counterexample to the Hasse principle explained by the Brauer-Manin obstruction. We consider the question of whether the obstruction is given by the d-primary subgroup of the Brauer group, which would have both theoretic and algorithmic implications. We prove that this question has a positive answer in the case of torsors under abelian varieties, Kummer surfaces and (conditional on finiteness of Tate-Shafarevich groups) bielliptic surfaces. For Kummer varieties we show th…
