We formulate for function fields an analog of Serre's conjecture on the modularity of 2-dimensional irreducible mod l representations of the absolute Galois group of Q: our analog is not restricted to 2-dimensional represntations. While the original conjecture of Serre is wide open at the moment, in this paper we prove the function field analog of Serre's conjecture only assuming largeness of image of the representation and some assumptions on the ramification of the representation (for example if the mod l representation is unramified and has full image, l is odd and the dimension and characteristic of the representation are coprime).
We show that for any given field $k$ and natural number $r\geq2$, every continuous extension of the absolute Galois group $\mathrm{Gal}_k$ by a finite group is the arithmetic fundamental group of a geometrically connected smooth projective variety over $k$ of dimension $r$.
Let $A$ be an abelian variety over $\mathbb{Q}$ of dimension $g$ such that the image of its associated absolute Galois representation $ρ_A$ is open in $\operatorname{GSp}_{2g}(\hat{\mathbb{Z}})$. We investigate the arithmetic of the traces $a_{1, p}$ of the Frobenius at $p$ in $\operatorname{Gal}(\overline{\mathbb{Q}}/\mathbb{Q})$ under $ρ_A$, modulo varying primes $p$. In particular, we obtain upper bounds for the counting function $\#\{p \leq x: a_{1, p} = t\}$ and we prove an Erdös-Kac type theorem for the number of prime factors of $a_{1, p}$. We also formulate a conjecture about the asymp…
We survey some recent progress on generalizations of conjectures of Serre concerning the cohomology of arithmetic groups, focusing primarily on the "weight" aspect. This is intimately related to (generalizations of) a conjecture of Breuil and Mézard relating the geometry of potentially semistable deformation rings to modular representation theory. Recently, B. Levin, S. Morra, and the authors established these conjectures in tame generic contexts by constructing projective varieties (local models) in mixed characteristic whose singularities model, in generic cases, those of tamely potentially …
This article has three goals. First, we generalize the result of Deuring and Serre on the characterization of supersingular locus of modular curves to all Shimura varieties given by totally indefinite quaternion algebras over totally real number fields. Second, we generalize the result of Ribet on arithmetic level raising to such Shimura varieties in the inert case. Third, as an application to number theory, we use the previous results to study the Selmer group of certain triple product motive of an elliptic curve, in the context of the Bloch--Kato conjecture.
In this article, Eisenstein cohomology of the arithmetic group $G_2(\mathbb{Z})$ with coefficients in any finite dimensional highest weight irreducible representation has been determined. We accomplish this by studying the cohomology of the boundary of the Borel-Serre compactification.
Let F be a global field, and let S be a finite set of places of F containing all archimedean places. Consider the product X of the symmetric spaces and Bruhat-Tits buildings for PGL_d of the completions of F at archimedean and non-archimedean places in S, respectively. We construct compactifications of the quotient of X by S-arithmetic subgroups of PGL_d(F). The constructions make delicate use of reductive Borel-Serre spaces for archimedean places and polyhedral and seminorm compactifications at nonarchimedean places. We also briefly discuss a few potential applications of our compacifications…
We prove in generic situations that the lattice in a tame type induced by the completed cohomology of a $U(3)$-arithmetic manifold is purely local, i.e., only depends on the Galois representation at places above $p$. This is a generalization to $\mathrm{GL}_3$ of the lattice conjecture of Breuil. In the process, we also prove the geometric Breuil-Mézard conjecture for (tamely) potentially crystalline deformation rings with Hodge-Tate weights $(0,1,2)$ as well as the Serre weight conjectures over an unramified field extending our previous results. We also prove results in modular representation…
As a sequel to our proof of the analog of Serre's conjecture for function fields in Part I of this work, we study in this paper the deformation rings of $n$-dimensional mod $\ell$ representations $ρ$ of the arithmetic fundamental group $π_1(X)$ where $X$ is a geometrically irreducible, smooth curve over a finite field $k$ of characteristic $p$ ($\neq \ell$). We are able to show in many cases that the resulting rings are finite flat over $\BZ_\ell$. The proof principally uses a lifting result of the authors in Part I of this two-part work, Taylor-Wiles systems and the result of Lafforgue. This …
This note completes a talk given at the conference Curves over Finite Fields: past, present and future celebrating the publication the book {\em Rational Points on Curves over Finite Fields by J.-P. Serre and organised at Centro de ciencias de Benasque in june 2021. It discusses a part of the history of algebraic geometry codes together with some of their recent applications. A particular focus is done on the "multiplicative" structure of these codes, i.e. their behaviour with respect to the component wise product. Some open questions are raised and discussed.
M. Goresky, G. Harder, and R. MacPherson defined weighted cohomologies of arithmetic groups Γin a real group G, with coefficients in certain local systems, associated to arbitrary upper and lower weight profiles. The author shows, using essentially local arguments on the reductive Borel-Serre compactification, that these cohomologies agree with certain weighted L^2 cohomologies defined by J. Franke. When the rank of G is equal to that of a maximal compact subgroup, this implies that the cohomologies associated to both upper and lower middle profiles are both isomorphic to L^2 cohomology.
We describe an algorithm, meant to be very general, to compute a presentation of the group of units of an order in a (semi)simple algebra over Q. Our method is based on a generalisation of Voronoï's algorithm for computing perfect forms, combined with Bass-Serre theory. It differs essentially from previously known methods to deal with such questions, e.g. for units in quaternion algebras. We illustrate this new algorithm by a series of examples where the computations are carried out completely.
Motives and automorphic forms of arithmetic type give rise to Galois representations that occur in {\it compatible families}. These compatible families are of p-adic representations with p varying. By reducing such a family mod p one obtains compatible families of mod p representations. While the representations that occur in such a p-adic or mod p family are strongly correlated, in a sense each member of the family reveals a new face of the motive. In recent celebrated work of Wiles playing off a pair of Galois representations in different characteristics has been crucial. In this paper we in…
A formalism of arithmetic partial differential equations (PDEs) is being developed in which one considers several arithmetic differentiations at one fixed prime. In this theory solutions can be defined in algebraically closed p-adic fields. As an application we show that for at least two arithmetic directions every elliptic curve possesses a non-zero arithmetic PDE Manin map of order 1; such maps do not exist in the arithmetic ODE case. Similarly we construct and study "genuinely PDE" differential modular forms. As further applications we derive a Theorem of the Kernel and a Reciprocity Theore…
Let $p(n)$ be the partition function. Ahlgren and Ono conjectured that every arithmetic progression contains infinitely many integers $N$ for which $p(N)$ is not congruent to $0\pmod{3}$. Radu proved this conjecture in 2010 using work of Deligne and Rapoport. In this note, we give a simpler proof of Ahlgren and Ono's conjecture in the special case where the modulus of the arithmetic progression is a power of $3$ by applying a method of Boylan and Ono and using work of Bellaïche and Khare generalizing Serre's results on the local nilpotency of the Hecke algebra.
We show how the size of the Galois groups of iterates of a quadratic polynomial $f(x)$ can be parametrized by certain rational points on the curves $C_n:y^2=f^n(x)$ and their quadratic twists. To that end, we study the arithmetic of such curves over global and finite fields, translating key problems in the arithmetic of polynomial iteration into a geometric framework. This point of view has several dynamical applications. For instance, we establish a maximality theorem for the Galois groups of the fourth iterate of quadratic polynomials $x^2+c$, using techniques in the theory of rational point…
Let $G$ be an almost simple, simply connected algebraic group defined over a number field $k$, and let $S$ be a finite set of places of $k$ including all infinite places. Let $X$ be the product over $v\in S$ of the symmetric spaces associated to $G(k_v)$, when $v$ is an infinite place, and the Bruhat-Tits buildings associated to $G(k_v)$, when $v$ is a finite place. The main result of this paper is an explicit computation of the fundamental group of the reductive Borel-Serre compactification of $Γ\backslash X$, where $Γ$ is an $S$-arithmetic subgroup of $G$. In the case that $Γ$ is neat, we sh…
Let $K$ be the function field of a curve $C$ over a field $\mathbb{F}$ of either odd or zero characteristic. Following the work by Serre and Mason on $\mathrm{SL}_2$, we study the action of arithmetic subgroups of $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ on its corresponding Bruhat-Tits tree associated to a suitable completion of $K$. More precisely, we prove that the quotient graph "looks like a spider", in the sense that it is the union of a set of cuspidal rays (the "legs"), parametrized by an explicit Picard group, that are attached to a connected graph (the "body"). We use this description in order to describe t…
In this article, several cohomology spaces associated to the arithmetic groups $\mathrm{SL}_3(\mathbb{Z})$ and $\mathrm{GL}_3(\mathbb{Z})$ with coefficients in any highest weight representation $\mathcal{M}_λ$ have been computed, where $λ$ denotes their highest weight. Consequently, we obtain detailed information of their Eisenstein cohomology with coefficients in $\mathcal{M}_λ$. When $\mathcal{M}_λ$ is not self dual, the Eisenstein cohomology coincides with the cohomology of the underlying arithmetic group with coefficients in $\mathcal{M}_λ$. In particular, for such a large class of represe…
Let $Γ$ be a lattice in a locally compact group $G$. In earlier work, we used $KK$-theory to equip the $K$-groups of any $Γ$-$C^{*}$-algebra on which the commensurator of $Γ$ acts with Hecke operators. When $Γ$ is arithmetic, this gives Hecke operators on the $K$-theory of certain $C^{*}$-algebras that are naturally associated with $Γ$. In this paper, we first study the topological $K$-theory of the arithmetic manifold associated to $Γ$. We prove that the Chern character commutes with Hecke operators. Afterwards, we show that the Shimura product of double cosets naturally corresponds to the Ka…
Let X be a smooth curve over a finite field of characteristic p, let E be a number field, and consider an E-compatible system of lisse sheaves on the curve X. For each place lambda of E not lying over p, the lambda-component of the system is a lisse E_lambda-sheaf on X, whose associated arithmetic monodromy group is an algebraic group over the local field E_lambda. We use Serre's theory of Frobenius tori and Lafforgue's proof of Deligne's conjecture to show that when the E-compatible system is semisimple and pure of some integer weight, the isomorphism type of the identity component of these m…
Using the sieve for Frobenius, we show that, in a certain sense, the roots of the L-functions of "most" algebraic curves over finite fields do not satisfy any non-trivial (linear or multiplicative) rational dependency relations. This can be seen as an analogue of conjectures of linear independence among ordinates of zeros of L-functions over number fields. As a corollary, we find, for "most" pairs of distinct algebraic curves over a finite field, the limiting distribution of the (suitably normalized) difference between the number of rational points over extensions of the ground field. The meth…
In this paper, we show that an odd Galois representation rhobar: Gal(Qbar/Q) --> GL_2(F_9) satisfying certain local conditions at 3 and 5 is modular. Our main tool is an idea of Taylor, which reduces the problem to that of exhibiting points on a Hilbert modular surface which are defined over a solvable extension of Q, and which satisfy certain reduction properties. As a corollary, we show that Hilbert-Blumenthal abelian surfaces over Q with good ordinary reduction at 3 and 5 are modular.
Mazur, Kapranov, Reznikov, and others developed ``Arithmetic Topology,'' a theory describing some surprising analogies between 3-dimensional topology and number theory, which can be summarized by saying that knots are like prime numbers. We extend their work by proving several formulas concerning branched coverings of 3-manifolds and extensions of number fields and observe that these formulas are almost identical, via the dictionary of arithmetic topology. Until now there is no satisfactory explanation for the coincidences between our formulas. The proofs of topological results use equivariant…
Let k be a global field and let k_v be the completion of k with respect to v, a non-archimedean place of k. Let \mathbf{G} be a connected, simply-connected algebraic group over k, which is absolutely almost simple of k_v-rank 1. Let G=\mathbf{G}(k_v). Let Γbe an arithmetic lattice in G and let C=C(Γ) be its congruence kernel. Lubotzky has shown that C is infinite, confirming an earlier conjecture of Serre. Here we provide complete solution of the congruence subgroup problem for \Gamm$ by determining the structure of C. It is shown that C is a free profinite product, one of whose factors is \ha…
The purpose of this short note is to present a simplified proof of Serre's modularity conjecture using the strong modularity lifting results currently available. This second version includes extra details on definitions and proofs than the previous one.
We prove that a selfdual $GL_3$-Galois representation constructed by van Geemen and Top is isomorphic to a quadratic twist of the symmetric square of the Tate module of an elliptic curve. This is an application of our refinement of the Faltings-Serre method to $3$-dimensional Galois representations with the ground field not equal to $\mathbb{Q}$. The proof makes use of the Faltings-Serre method, $\ell$-adic Lie algebra, and Burnside groups.
We prove some new cases of weight part of Serre's conjectures for mod $p$ Galois representations associated to automorphic representations on unitary groups $U(d)$. The approach is a generalization of the work of Gee-Liu-Savitt, namely, we study reductions of certain crystalline representations, as well as crystalline lifts of these reductions.
We study an analog of Serre's conjecture over imaginary quadratic fields. In particular, we ask whether the weight recipe of Buzzard, Diamond and Jarvis will hold in this setting. Using a program written by the author, we provide computational evidence that this is in fact the case. In order to justify the method used in the program, we prove that a modular symbols method will work for arbitrary weights over imaginary quadratic fields.
We study the weight part of (a generalisation of) Serre's conjecture for mod l Galois representations associated to automorphic representations on rank two unitary groups for odd primes l. We propose a conjectural set of Serre weights, agreeing with all conjectures in the literature, and under a mild assumption on the image of the mod l Galois representation we are able to show that any modular representation is modular of each conjectured weight. We make no assumptions on the ramification or inertial degrees of l. Our main innovation is to make use of the lifting techniques introduced in our …
Let p>2 be prime. We complete the proof of the weight part of Serre's conjecture for rank two unitary groups for mod p representations in the totally ramified case, by proving that any weight which occurs is a predicted weight. Our methods are a mixture of local and global techniques, and in the course of the proof we establish some purely local results on crystalline extension classes.
These are the lecture notes from a five-hour mini-course given at the Winter School on Galois Theory held at the University of Luxembourg in February 2012. Their aim is to give an overview of Serre's modularity conjecture and of its proof by Khare, Wintenberger, and Kisin, as well as of the results of other mathematicians that played an important role in the proof. Along the way we remark on some recent (as of 2012) work concerning generalizations of the conjecture.
Let F be a totally real field, and v a place of F dividing an odd prime p. We study the weight part of Serre's conjecture for continuous, totally odd, two-dimensional mod p representations rhobar of the absolute Galois group of F that are reducible locally at v. Let W be the set of predicted Serre weights for the semisimplification of rhobar restricted to the decomposition group at v. We prove that when the local representation is generic, the Serre weights in W for which rhobar is modular are exactly the ones that are predicted (assuming that rhobar is modular). We also determine precisely wh…
In this article we give a proof of Serre's conjecture for the case of odd level and arbitrary weight. Our proof does not depend on any generalization of Kisin's modularity lifting results to characteristic 2 (moreover, we will not consider at all characteristic 2 representations at any step of our proof). The key tool in the proof is a very general modularity lifting result of Kisin, which is combined with the methods and results of previous articles on Serre's conjecture by Khare, Wintenberger, and the author, and modularity results of Schoof for semistable abelian varieties of small conducto…
Given a totally real number field $F$ and a mod $p$ Galois representation $ρ\colon G_F\to \mathrm{GL}_2(\bar{\mathbf{F}}_p)$, we propose an explicit definition of the set of Serre weights $W(ρ)$ attached to $ρ$. We prove that our explicit definition is equivalent to previous definitions available in the literature. As a consequence we obtain an explicit Serre's modularity conjecture for Hilbert modular forms over totally real number fields. Our work generalises previous work of Dembélé--Diamond--Roberts and Calegari--Emerton--Gee--Mavrides which together give explicit and equivalent sets of we…
We first prove the existence of minimally ramified p-adic lifts of 2-dimensional mod p representations, that are odd and irreducible, of the absolute Galois group of Q,in many cases. This is predicted by Serre's conjecture that such representations arise from newforms of optimal level and weight. Using these minimal lifts, and arguments using compatible systems, we prove some cases of Serre's conjectures in low levels and weights. For instance we prove that there are no irreducible (p,p) type group schemes over the rational integers. We prove that a Galois representation as above of Artin cond…
We prove the weight elimination direction of the Serre weight conjectures as formulated by Herzig for forms of $U(n)$ which are compact at infinity and split at places dividing $p$ in generic situations. That is, we show that all modular weights for a mod $p$ Galois representation are contained in the set predicted by Herzig. Under some additional hypotheses, we also show modularity of all the "obvious" weights.
We study the weight part of (a generalisation of) Serre's conjecture for mod l Galois representations associated to automorphic representations on unitary groups of rank n for odd primes l. Given a modular Galois representation, we use automorphy lifting theorems to prove that it is modular in many other weights. We make no assumptions on the ramification or inertial degrees of l. We give an explicit strengthened result when n = 3 and l splits completely in the underlying CM field.
In the present article, we extend previous results of the author and we show that when $K$ is any quadratic imaginary field of class number one, Fermat's equation $a^p+b^p+c^p=0$ does not have integral coprime solutions $a,b,c \in K \setminus \{ 0 \}$ such that $2 \mid abc$ and $p \geq 19$ is prime. The results are conjectural upon the veracity of a natural generalisation of Serre's modularity conjecture.
Let K be a local field of mixte characteristics. We assume that the residue field is perfect. Let X\_K be a proper smooth scheme over K admitting an integer model X which is proper and semi-stable. In this article, we prove a period isomorphism linking the étale cohomology of X\_Kbar with coefficients in Z/p^n and the log-crystalline cohomology of the special fiber of X. Nevertheless, we have a restriction on the absolute ramification of K and the degree of the cohomologies. We apply the theory to deduce a complete proof of the Serre conjecture on the tame inertia.
We present a Serre-type conjecture on the modularity of four-dimensional symplectic mod p Galois representations. We assume that the Galois representation is irreducible and odd (in the symplectic sense). The modularity condition is formulated using the etale and the algebraic de Rham cohomology of Siegel modular varieties of level prime to p. We concentrate on the case when the Galois representation is ordinary at p and we give a corresponding list of Serre weights. When the representation is moreover tamely ramified at p, we conjecture that all weights of this list are modular, otherwise we …
The conjecture of Serre referred in the title is the one about modularity of odd Galois representations into GL(2,F) where F is a finite field of characteristic p. We present an analogous conjecture where GL(2) is replaced by GL(n). We explain the analogue of "oddness." We then present some theoretical and experimental evidence for the conjecture, primarily when n = 3. Our conjecture does not require the Galois representation to be irreducible. Our most interesting examples involve the sum of an irreducible even 2-dimensional representation and a 1-dimensional representation.
We prove that for forms of U(3) which are compact at infinity and split at places dividing a prime p, in generic situations the Serre weights of a mod p modular Galois representation which is irreducible when restricted to each decomposition group above p are exactly those previously predicted by the third author. We do this by combining explicit computations in p-adic Hodge theory, based on a formalism of strongly divisible modules and Breuil modules with descent data which we develop in the paper, with a technique that we call "weight cycling".
We prove a version of the weight part of Serre's conjecture for mod $p$ Galois representations attached to automorphic forms on rank 2 unitary groups which are non-split at $p$. More precisely, let $F/F^+$ denote a CM extension of a totally real field such that every place of $F^+$ above $p$ is unramified and inert in $F$, and let $\overline{r}: \textrm{Gal}(\overline{F^+}/F^+) \longrightarrow {}^C\mathbf{U}_2(\overline{\mathbb{F}}_p)$ be a Galois parameter valued in the $C$-group of a rank 2 unitary group attached to $F/F^+$. We assume that $\overline{r}$ is semisimple and sufficiently generi…
In this paper, we introduce a condition $\mathrm{(F}_m'\mathrm{)}$ on a field $K$, for a positive integer $m$, that generalizes Serre's condition (F) and which still implies the finiteness of the Galois cohomology of finite Galois modules annihilated by $m$ and algebraic $K$-tori that split over an extension of degree dividing $m$, as well as certain groups of étale and unramified cohomology. Various examples of fields satisfying $\mathrm{(F}_m'\mathrm{)}$, including those that do not satisfy (F), are given.
Serre's strong conjecture, now a theorem of Khare and Wintenberger, states that every two-dimensional continuous, odd, irreducible mod $p$ Galois representation $ρ$ arises from a modular form of a specific minimal weight $k(ρ)$, level $N(ρ)$ and character $ε(ρ)$. In this short paper we show that the minimal weight $k(ρ)$ is equal to a notion of minimal weight inspired by the recipe for weights introduced by Buzzard, Diamond and Jarvis. Moreover, using the Breuil-Mézard conjecture we show that both weight recipes are equal to the smallest $k \geq 2$ such that $ρ$ has a crystalline lift of Hodge…
