In this paper, we show that there exist families of curves (defined over an algebraically closed field $k$ of characteristic $p >2$) whose Jacobians have interesting $p$-torsion. For example, for every $0 \leq f \leq g$, we find the dimension of the locus of hyperelliptic curves of genus $g$ with $p$-rank at most $f$. We also produce families of curves so that the $p$-torsion of the Jacobian of each fibre contains multiple copies of the group scheme $α_p$. The method is to study curves which admit an action by $(\ZZ/2)^n$ so that the quotient is a projective line. As a result, some of these families intersect the hyperelliptic locus $\CH_g$.
We establish a connection between torsion packets on curves of genus $2$ and pairs of elliptic curves realized as double covers of the projective line $\mathbb{P}_{x}^{1}$ that have many common torsion $x$-coordinates. This can be used to show that the set of common torsion $x$-coordinates has size at least $22$ infinitely often and has $34$ elements in some cases. We also explain how we obtained the current record example of a hyperelliptic torsion packet on a genus $2$ curve.
We construct unramified central simple algebras representing 2-torsion classes in the Brauer group of a hyperelliptic curve, and show that every 2-torsion class can be constructed this way when the curve has a rational Weierstrass point or when the base field is C_1. In general, we show that a large (but in general proper) subgroup of the 2-torsion classes are given by the construction. Examples demonstrating applications to the arithmetic of hyperelliptic curves defined over number fields are given.
We introduce an algorithm to compute the rational torsion subgroup of the Jacobian of a hyperelliptic curve of genus 3 over the rationals. We apply a Magma implementation of our algorithm to a database of curves with low discriminant due to Sutherland as well as a list of curves with small coefficients. In the process, we find several torsion structures not previously described in the literature. The algorithm is a generalisation of an algorithm for genus 2 due to Stoll, which we extend to abelian varieties satisfying certain conditions. The idea is to compute p-adic torsion lifts of points ov…
We show that torsion points of certain orders are not on a theta divisor in the Jacobian variety of a hyperelliptic curve given by the equation $y^2=x^{2g+1}+x$ with $g \geq 2$. The proof employs a method of Anderson who proved an analogous result for a cyclic quotient of a Fermat curve of prime degree.
In this article, we show that in each of four standard families of hyperelliptic curves, there is a density-$1$ subset of members with the property that their Jacobians have adelic Galois representation with image as large as possible. This result constitutes an explicit application of a general theorem on arbitrary rational families of abelian varieties to the case of families of Jacobians of hyperelliptic curves. Furthermore, we provide explicit examples of hyperelliptic curves of genus $2$ and $3$ over $\mathbb Q$ whose Jacobians have such maximal adelic Galois representations.
Given a principally polarized abelian variety $A$ of dimension $g$ over an algebraically closed field $k$ of characteristic $p$, the $p$ torsion $A[p]$ is a finite flat $p$-torsion group scheme of rank $p^{2g}$. There are exactly $2^g$ possible group schemes that can occur as some such $A[p]$. In this paper, we study which group schemes can occur as $J[p]$, where $J$ is the Jacobian of a hyperelliptic curve defined over $\mathbb{F}_p$. We do this by computing explicit formulae for the action of Frobenius and its dual on the de Rham cohomology of a hyperelliptic curve with respect to a given ba…
Let $p$ be a large prime, and let $C$ be a hyperelliptic curve over $\mathbb{F}_p$. We study the distribution of the $x$-coordinates in short intervals when the $y$-coordinates lie in a prescribed interval, and the distribution of the distance between consecutive $x$-coordinates with the same property. Next, let $g(P,P_0)$ be a rational function of two points on $C$. We study the distribution of the above distances with an extra condition that $g(P_i,P_{i+1})$ lies in a prescribed interval, for any consecutive points $P_i,P_{i+1}$.
Cais, Ellenberg and Zureick-Brown recently observed that over finite fields of characteristic two, all sufficiently general smooth plane projective curves of a given odd degree admit a non-trivial rational 2-torsion point on their Jacobian. We extend their observation to curves given by Laurent polynomials with a fixed Newton polygon, provided that the polygon satisfies a certain combinatorial property. We also show that in each of these cases, the sufficiently general condition is implied by being ordinary. Our treatment includes many classical families, such as hyperelliptic curves of odd ge…
Let $p$ be a prime and $K$ a number field of degree $p$. We count the number of elliptic curves, up to $\bar{K}$-isomorphism, having a prescribed property, where this property is either that the curve contains a fixed torsion group as a subgroup, or that it has an isogeny of prescribed degree.
Let $C$ be a hyperelliptic curve of genus $g>1$ over an algebraically closed field $K$ of characteristic zero and $O$ one of the $(2g+2)$ Weierstrass points in $C(K)$. Let $J$ be the jacobian of $C$, which is a $g$-dimensional abelian variety over $K$. Let us consider the canonical embedding of $C$ into $J$ that sends $O$ to the zero of the group law on $J$. This embedding allows us to identify $C(K)$ with a certain subset of the commutative group $J(K)$. A special case of the famous theorem of Raynaud (Manin--Mumford conjecture) asserts that the set of torsion points in $C(K)$ is finite. It i…
Let G be the separable Galois group of a finite field F of characteristic p, and X/F an imaginary hyperelliptic curve such that G acts transitively on its set W(X) of Weierstrass points. The existence of a G-invariant 2-torsion point on the Jacobian J(X) of X depends only on the parity of |W(X)|, but for large enough |F|, there exist two such curves X and X' with |W(X)|=|W(X')|, such that J(X) has (and J(X') does not have) a G-invariant 4-torsion point. The problem is equivalent to a study of the 2-,4- and 8-rank of the class number of the maximal order in the function field of such curves, an…
In this paper, we survey some Galois-theoretic techniques for studying torsion points on curves. In particular, we give new proofs of some results of A. Tamagawa and the present authors for studying torsion points on curves with "ordinary good" or "ordinary semistable" reduction at a given prime. We also give new proofs of: (1) The Manin-Mumford conjecture: There are only finitely many torsion points lying on a curve of genus at least 2 embedded in its Jacobian by an Albanese map; and (2) The Coleman-Kaskel-Ribet conjecture: If p is a prime number which is at least 23, then the only torsion po…
Consider the Jacobian of a hyperelliptic genus two curve defined over a prime field of characteristic p and with complex multiplication. In this paper we show that the p-Sylow subgroup of the Jacobian is either trivial or of order p.
Let $k$ be a field of characteristic $0$, and let $α_{1}$, $α_{2}$, ..., $α_{5}$ be algebraically independent and transcendental over $k$. Let $K$ be the transcendental extension of $k$ obtained by adjoining the elementary symmetric functions of the $α_{i}$'s. Let $J$ be the Jacobian of the hyperelliptic curve defined over $K$ which is given by the equation $y^{2} = \prod_{i = 1}^{5} (x - α_{i})$. We define a tower of field extensions $K = K_{0}' \subset K_{1}' \subset K_{2}' \subset ...$ by giving recursive formulas for the generators of each $K_{n}'$ over $K_{n - 1}'$, and let $K_{\infty}' =…
Mazur's theorem states that there are exactly 15 possibilities for the torsion subgroup of an elliptic curve over the rational numbers. We determine how often each of these groups actually occurs. Precisely, if $G$ is one of these 15 groups, we show that the number of elliptic curves up to height $X$ whose torsion subgroup is isomorphic to $G$ is on the order of $X^{1/d}$, for some number $d=d(G)$ which we compute.
We prove that all elliptic curves over quadratic fields with a subgroup isomorphic to $C_{16}$, as well as all elliptic curves over cubic fields with a subgroup isomorphic to $C_2\times C_{14}$, are base changes of elliptic curves defined over $\Q$. We obtain these results by studying geometric properties of modular curves and maps between modular curves, and then obtaining a modular description of these curves and maps.
In this paper, we introduce an algorithm for computing p-adic integrals on bad reduction hyperelliptic curves. For bad reduction curves, there are two notions of p-adic integration: Berkovich-Coleman integrals which can be performed locally; and abelian integrals with desirable number-theoretic properties. By covering a bad reduction hyperelliptic curve by annuli and basic wide open sets, we reduce the computation of Berkovich-Coleman integrals to the known algorithms on good reduction hyperelliptic curves. These are due to Balakrishnan, Bradshaw, and Kedlaya, and to Balakrishnan and Besser fo…
We show that average analytic rank of elliptic curves with prescribed torsion $G$ is bounded for every torsion group $G$ under GRH for elliptic curve $L$-functions.
Coleman's theory of p-adic integration figures prominently in several number-theoretic applications, such as finding torsion and rational points on curves, and computing p-adic regulators in K-theory (including p-adic heights on elliptic curves). We describe an algorithm for computing Coleman integrals on hyperelliptic curves, and its implementation in Sage.
Let $k$ be a subfield of $\mathbb{C}$ which contains all $2$-power roots of unity, and let $K = k(α_{1}, α_{2}, ... , α_{2g + 1})$, where the $α_{i}$'s are independent and transcendental over $k$, and $g$ is a positive integer. We investigate the image of the $2$-adic Galois action associated to the Jacobian $J$ of the hyperelliptic curve over $K$ given by $y^{2} = \prod_{i = 1}^{2g + 1} (x - α_{i})$. Our main result states that the image of Galois in $\mathrm{Sp}(T_{2}(J))$ coincides with the principal congruence subgroup $Γ(2) \lhd \mathrm{Sp}(T_{2}(J))$. As an application, we find generator…
We present a probabilistic Las Vegas algorithm for computing the local zeta function of a hyperelliptic curve of genus $g$ defined over $\mathbb{F}_q$. It is based on the approaches by Schoof and Pila combined with a modeling of the $\ell$-torsion by structured polynomial systems. Our main result improves on previously known complexity bounds by showing that there exists a constant $c>0$ such that, for any fixed $g$, this algorithm has expected time and space complexity $O((\log q)^{cg})$ as $q$ grows and the characteristic is large enough.
We present a probabilistic Las Vegas algorithm for computing the local zeta function of a genus-$g$ hyperelliptic curve defined over $\mathbb F_q$ with explicit real multiplication (RM) by an order $\Z[η]$ in a degree-$g$ totally real number field. It is based on the approaches by Schoof and Pila in a more favorable case where we can split the $\ell$-torsion into $g$ kernels of endomorphisms, as introduced by Gaudry, Kohel, and Smith in genus 2. To deal with these kernels in any genus, we adapt a technique that the author, Gaudry, and Spaenlehauer introduced to model the $\ell$-torsion by stru…
There are 26 possibilities for the torsion group of elliptic curves defined over quadratic number fields. We present examples of high rank elliptic curves with given torsion group which give the current records for most of the torsion groups. In particular, we show that for each possible torsion group, except maybe for Z/15Z, there exist an elliptic curve over some quadratic field with this torsion group and with rank >= 2.
We study the structure of the Mordell--Weil group of elliptic curves over number fields of degree 2, 3, and 4. We show that if $T$ is a group, then either the class of all elliptic curves over quadratic fields with torsion subgroup $T$ is empty, or it contains curves of rank~0 as well as curves of positive rank. We prove a similar but slightly weaker result for cubic and quartic fields. On the other hand, we find a group $T$ and a quartic field $K$ such that among the elliptic curves over $K$ with torsion subgroup $T$, there are curves of positive rank, but none of rank~0. We find examples of …
Consider the jacobian of a hyperelliptic genus two curve defined over a finite field. Under certain restrictions on the endomorphism ring of the jacobian we give an explicit description all non-degenerate, bilinear, anti-symmetric and Galois-invariant pairings on the jacobian. From this description it follows that no such pairing can be computed more efficiently than the Weil pairing. To establish this result, we need an explicit description of the representation of the Frobenius endomorphism on the l-torsion subgroup of the jacobian. This description is given. In particular, we show that if t…
This article deals with a quantitative aspect of Hilbert's seventeenth problem: producing a collection of real polynomials in two variables of degree 8 in one variable which are positive but are not a sum of three squares of rational fractions. As explained by Huisman and Mahe, a given monic squarefree positive polynomial in two variables x and y of degree in y divisible by 4 is a sum of three squares of rational fractions if and only if the jabobian variety of some hyperelliptic curve (associated to P) has an "antineutral" point. Using this criterium, we follow a method developped by Cassels,…
Let C/Q be a curve of genus three, given as a double cover of a plane conic. Such a curve is hyperelliptic over the algebraic closure of Q, but may not have a hyperelliptic model of the usual form over Q. We describe an algorithm that computes the local zeta functions of C at all odd primes of good reduction up to a prescribed bound N. The algorithm relies on an adaptation of the "accumulating remainder tree" to matrices with entries in a quadratic field. We report on an implementation, and compare its performance to previous algorithms for the ordinary hyperelliptic case.
We show the insolvability of the Diophantine equation $ax^d-y^2-z^2+xyz-b=0$ in $\mathbb{Z}$ for fixed $a$ and $b$ such that $a\equiv 1 \pmod {12}$ and $b=2^da-3$, where $d$ is an odd integer and is a multiple of $3$. Further, we investigate the more general family with $b=2^da-3^r$, where $r$ is a positive odd integer. As a consequence, we found an infinite family of hyperelliptic curves with trivial torsion over $\mathbb{Q}$. We conclude by providing some numerical evidence corroborating the main results.
We compute the Mordell-Weil groups of the modular Jacobian varieties of hyperelliptic modular curves $X_1(M, MN)$ over every number field which is the composition of quadratic fields. Also we prove criteria for the existence of elliptic curves over such number fields with prescribed torsion points generalizing the results for quadratic number fields of Kamienny and Najman.
We give two new examples of non-hyperelliptic curves whose Ceresa cycles have torsion images in the intermediate Jacobian. For one of them, the central value of the $L$-function of the relevant motive is non-vanishing and the Ceresa cycle is torsion in the Griffiths group, consistent with the conjectures of Beilinson and Bloch. We speculate on a possible explanation for the existence of these torsion Ceresa classes, based on some computations with cyclic Fermat quotients.
Let $C$ be a hyperelliptic curve defined over $\mathbb{Q}$, whose Weierstrass points are defined over extensions of $\mathbb{Q}$ of degree at most three, and at least one of them is rational. Generalizing a result of R. Soleng (in the case of elliptic curves), we prove that any line bundle of degree $0$ on $C$ which is not torsion can be specialised into ideal classes of imaginary quadratic fields whose order can be made arbitrarily large. This gives a positive answer, for such curves, to a question by Agboola and Pappas.
We present a method for constructing optimized equations for the modular curve X_1(N) using a local search algorithm on a suitably defined graph of birationally equivalent plane curves. We then apply these equations over a finite field F_q to efficiently generate elliptic curves with nontrivial N-torsion by searching for affine points on X_1(N)(F_q), and we give a fast method for generating curves with (or without) a point of order 4N using X_1(2N).
Let $K$ be an algebraically closed field of characteristic different from 2, $g$ a positive integer, $f(x)$ a degree $(2g+1)$ polynomial with coefficients in $K$ and without multiple roots, $C:y^2=f(x)$ the corresponding genus $g$ hyperelliptic curve over K, and $J$ the jacobian of $C$. We identify $C$ with the image of its canonical embedding into $J$ (the infinite point of $C$ goes to the identity element of $J$). It is well known that for each $\mathfrak{b} \in J(K)$ there are exactly $2^{2g}$ elements $\mathfrak{a} \in J(K)$ such that $2\mathfrak{a}=\mathfrak{b}$. M. Stoll constructed an a…
Let $F$ be the maximal totally real subfield of $\mathbf{Q}(ζ_{32})$, the cyclotomic field of $32$nd roots of unity. Let $D$ be the quaternion algebra over $F$ ramified exactly at the unique prime above $2$ and 7 of the real places of $F$. Let $\mathcal{O}$ be a maximal order in $D$, and $X_0^D(1)$ the Shimura curve attached to $\mathcal{O}$. Let $C = X_0^D(1)/\langle w_D \rangle$, where $w_D$ is the unique Atkin-Lehner involution on $X_0^D(1)$. We show that the curve $C$ has several striking features. First, it is a hyperelliptic curve of genus $16$, whose hyperelliptic involution is exceptio…
Consider the locus of smooth curves of genus g and p-rank f defined over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic p. It is an open problem to classify which group schemes occur as the p-torsion of the Jacobians of these curves for f < g-1. We prove that the generic point of this locus has a-number 1 when f=g-2 and f=g-3. We include other results for curves with p-rank g-2 and g-3. For example, we show that the generic hyperelliptic curve with p-rank g-2 has a-number 1 and that the locus of curves with p-rank g-2 and a-number 2 is non-empty with codimension 3 in M_g. The proofs use deg…
For each nonsingular hyperelliptic curve of arbitrary genus, we construct a natural injection from the Galois cohomology of 2-torsion subgroups of Jacobian varieties of the curve to the set of isomorphism classes of nonsingular complete intersections of two quadrics. This gives a generalization of the result of Flynn and Skorobogatov.
In a previous paper, the author examined the possible torsions of an elliptic curve over the quadratic fields $\mathbb Q(i)$ and $\mathbb Q(\sqrt{-3})$. Although all the possible torsions were found if the elliptic curve has rational coefficients, we were unable to eliminate some possibilities for the torsion if the elliptic curve has coefficients that are not rational. In this note, by finding all the points of two hyperelliptic curves over $\mathbb Q(i)$ and $\mathbb Q(\sqrt{-3})$, we solve this problem completely and thus obtain a classification of all possible torsions of elliptic curves o…
We study Tamagawa numbers of elliptic curves with torsion $\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}\oplus \mathbb{Z}/14\mathbb{Z}$ over cubic fields and of elliptic curves with an $n-$isogeny over $\mathbb{Q}$, for $n\in\{6,8,10,12,14,16,17,18,19,37,43,67,163\}$. Bruin and Najman proved that every elliptic curve with torsion $\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}\oplus \mathbb{Z}/14\mathbb{Z}$ over a cubic field is a base change of an elliptic curve defined over $\mathbb{Q}$. We find that Tamagawa numbers of elliptic curves defined over $\mathbb{Q}$ with torsion $\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}\oplus \mathbb{Z}/14\mathbb{Z}$ over a cu…
Consider the smooth projective models C of curves y^2=f(x) with f(x) in Z[x] monic and separable of degree 2g+1. We prove that for g >= 3, a positive fraction of these have only one rational point, the point at infinity. We prove a lower bound on this fraction that tends to 1 as g tends to infinity. Finally, we show that C(Q) can be algorithmically computed for such a fraction of the curves. The method can be summarized as follows: using p-adic analysis and an idea of McCallum, we develop a reformulation of Chabauty's method that shows that certain computable conditions imply #C(Q)=1; on the o…
We prove the first known nontrivial bounds on the sizes of the 2-torsion subgroups of the class groups of cubic and higher degree number fields $K$ (the trivial bound being $O_ε(|{\rm Disc}(K)|^{1/2+ε})$ by Brauer--Siegel). This yields corresponding improvements to: 1) bounds of Brumer and Kramer on the sizes of 2-Selmer groups and ranks of elliptic curves; 2) bounds of Helfgott and Venkatesh on the number of integral points on elliptic curves; 3) bounds on the sizes of 2-Selmer groups and ranks of Jacobians of hyperelliptic curves; and 4) bounds of Baily and Wong on the number of $A_4$-quarti…
L. Szpiro and T. Tucker recently proved that under mild conditions, the valuation of the minimal discriminant of an elliptic curve with semistable reduction over a discrete valuation ring can be expressed in terms of intersections between n-torsion and 2-torsion, where n tends to infinity. The argument of Szpiro and Tucker is geometric in nature. We give a proof based on the arithmetic of division polynomials, and generalize the result to the case of hyperelliptic curves.
In this paper, we describe the construction of superelliptic curves with a rational point of prescribed order on their jacobians. The construction is based on Hensel's Lemma and produces for a given integer $N$ a superelliptic curve of genus linear in $N$ with a rational $N$-division point on the jacobian. The method is illustrated with multiple examples.
In this paper we show how to explicitly write down equations of hyperelliptic curves over Q such that for all odd primes l the image of the mod l Galois representation is the general symplectic group. The proof relies on understanding the action of inertia groups on the l-torsion of the Jacobian, including at primes where the Jacobian has non-semistable reduction. We also give a framework for systematically dealing with primitivity of symplectic mod l Galois representations. The main result of the paper is the following. Suppose n=2g+2 is an even integer that can be written as a sum of two pri…
