Let $\Cal C,\Cal C'$ be curves over a base scheme $S$ with $g(\Cal C)\ge 2$. Then the functor $T\mapsto\{$generically smooth $T$-morphisms $T\times_S\Cal C'\to T\times_S\Cal C\}$ from $((S$-schemes)) to ((sets)) is represented by a quasi-finite unramified $S$-scheme. From this one can deduce that for any two integers $g\ge 2$ and $g'$, there is an integer $M(g,g')$ such that for any two curves $C,C'$ over any field $k$ with $g(C)=g$, $g(C')=g'$, there are at most $M(g,g')$ separable $k$-morphisms $C'\to C$. It is conjectured that the arithmetic function $M(g,g')$ is bounded by a linear function of $g'$.
We give a complete proof for the implication from the Manin-Mumford conjecture to the Mordell-Lang conjecture in positive characteristic, using integral models of semi-abelian varieties over a ring of formal power series, and the machinery of jet schemes.
Let $A$ be a non-zero abelian variety over a field $F$ that is not algebraic over a finite field. We prove that the rational rank of the abelian group $A(F)$ is infinite when $F$ is large in the sense of Pop (also called ample). The main ingredient is a deduction of the 1-dimensional case of the relative Mordell-Lang conjecture from a result of Rössler.
We give a new proof of the Mordell-Lang conjecture in positive characteristic, in the situation where the variety under scrutiny is a smooth subvariety of an abelian variety. Our proof is based on the theory of semistable sheaves in positive characteristic, in particular on Langer's theorem that the Harder-Narasimhan filtration of sheaves becomes strongly semistable after a finite number of iterations of Frobenius pull-backs. The interest of this proof is that it provides simple effective bounds (depending on the degree of the canonical line bundle) for the degree of the isotrivial finite cove…
We formulate a conjecture for semiabelian varieties A over number fields that includes both the Mordell-Lang conjecture (now proven) and the Bogomolov conjecture. We prove the "Mordellic" (finitely generated) part of the conjecture when A is isogenous to the product of an abelian variety and a torus. The proof makes use of the Mordell-Lang conjecture, the Bogomolov conjecture, and an equidistribution theorem.
We prove a dynamical version of the Mordell-Lang conjecture in the context of Drinfeld modules. We use analytic methods similar to the ones employed by Skolem, Chabauty, and Coleman for studying diophantine equations.
In "Mordell-Lang plus Bogomolov", we formulated a conjecture combining the Mordell-Lang conjecture (now proven) and the Bogomolov conjecture, and proved the Mordellic part when A is almost split (i.e., isogenous to the product of an abelian variety and a torus). Here we prove that the full conjecture would follow from the Bogomolov conjecture and an equidistribution result for general semiabelian varieties. These assumptions have been proved when A is almost split, so the conjecture is completely proven in that case.
The generalized Mordell-Lang conjecture (GML) is the statement that the irreducible components of the Zariski closure of a subset of a group of finite rank inside a semi-abelian variety are translates of closed algebraic subgroups. M. McQuillan gave a proof of this statement. We revisit his proof, indicating some simplifications. This text contains a complete elementary proof of the fact that (GML) for groups of torsion points (= generalized Manin-Mumford conjecture), together with (GML) for finitely generated groups imply the full generalized Mordell-Lang conjecture.
We give a new proof of the Mordell-Lang conjecture in positive characteristic for finitely generated subgroups. We also make some progress towards the full Mordell-Lang conjecture in positive characteristic.
We introduce a dynamical Mordell-Lang-type conjecture for coherent sheaves. When the sheaves are structure sheaves of closed subschemes, our conjecture becomes a statement about unlikely intersections. We prove an analogue of this conjecture for affinoid spaces, which we then use to prove our conjecture in the case of surfaces. These results rely on a module-theoretic variant of Strassman's theorem that we prove in the appendix.
We prove that if $K$ is a complete algebraically closed non-archimedian valuation field of positive characteristic and $f$ is an endomorphism of $\mathbb{P}_{K}^{N}$ which is totally inseparable and behaves as the Frobenius on the special fiber, then $f$ satisfies the dynamical Mordell-Lang (DML) property. We also discuss some corollaries and generalizations.
Let $ϕ$ be a Drinfeld module of generic characteristic, and let $X$ be a sufficiently generic affine subvariety of $\mathbb{G}_a^g$. We show that the intersection of $X$ with a finite rank $ϕ$-submodule of $\mathbb{G}_a^g$ is finite.
We prove that the elliptic surface y^2=x^3+2(t^8+14t^4+1)x+4t^2(t^8+6t^4+1) has geometric Mordell-Weil rank 15. This completes a list of Kuwata, who gave explicit examples of elliptic K3-surfaces with geometric Mordell-Weil rank 0,1,..., 14, 16, 17,18.
We prove that in positive characteristic, the Manin-Mumford conjecture implies the Mordell-Lang conjecture, in the situation where the ambient variety is an abelian variety defined over the function field of a smooth curve over a finite field and the relevant group is a finitely generated group. In particular, in the setting of the last sentence, we provide a proof of the Mordell-Lang conjecture, which does not depend on tools coming from model theory.
The Mordell-Lang conjecture (proven by Faltings, Vojta and McQuillan) states that the intersection of a subvariety $V$ of a semiabelian variety $G$ defined over an algebraically closed field $\mathbb{k}$ of characteristic $0$ with a finite rank subgroup $Γ\le G(\mathbb{k})$ is a finite union of cosets of subgroups of $Γ$. We explore a variant of this conjecture when $G$ is a product of an abelian variety $A$ defined over $\mathbb{k}$ with the additive group $\mathbb{G}_a$.
We note that Pillay's result on the stability of an algebraically closed field with a predicate for a group of Lang type implies that number uniformity follows formally from the finiteness results analogous to Faltings' Theorem.
We prove that if nonlinear complex polynomials of the same degree have orbits with infinite intersection, then the polynomials have a common iterate. We also prove a special case of a conjectured dynamical analogue of the Mordell-Lang conjecture.
This expository survey is based on my online talk at the ICCM 2020. It aims to sketch key steps of the recent proof of the uniform Mordell-Lang conjecture for curves embedded into Jacobians (a question of Mazur). The full version of this conjecture is proved by combining Dimitrov-Gao-Habegger (https://annals.math.princeton.edu/articles/17715) and Kühne (arXiv:2101.10272). We include in this survey a detailed proof on how to combine these two results, which was implicitly done in another short paper of Dimitrov-Gao-Habegger (arXiv:2009.08505) but not explicitly written in existing literature. A…
We provide an explicit formula on the growth rate of ample heights of rational points under iteration of endomorphisms on smooth projective varieties over number fields. As an application, we give a positive answer to a problem of Dynamical Mordell-Lang type for pairs of étale endomorphisms, which is a variant of the original one stated by Bell, Ghioca, and Tucker in their monograph.
We give an introductory account of two recent approaches towards an effective proof of the Mordell conjecture, due to Lawrence--Venkatesh and Kim. The latter method, which is usually called the method of Chabauty--Kim or non-abelian Chabauty in the literature, has the advantage that in some cases it has been turned into an effective method to determine the set of rational points on a curve, and we illustrate this by presenting three new examples of modular curves where this set can be determined.
The Mordell conjecture: origins, approaches, generalizations -- The Mordell conjecture predicts that a diophantine equation defining a smooth projective curve of genus at least two has only finity many solutions in a given number field. The century that ran since its statement, in 1922, gave rise to several approaches, several proofs, and vast extensions most of which are still conjectural. This text is based on the oral presentation and aims at recalling this story. La conjecture de Mordell prédit qu'une équation diophantienne définissant une courbe projective lisse de genre au moins deux n'a…
The Weakly Special Conjecture contradicts orbifold Mordell, and hence the abc conjecture
Radboud University（拉德堡德大学）；Université de Lorraine（洛林大学）；Institut Élie Cartan de Lorraine, Université de Lorraine（洛林大学埃利·嘉当研究所）；IMAPP Radboud University Nijmegen（奈梅亨拉德堡德大学IMAPP）；Laboratoire Analyse, Géométrie et Applications, Institut Galilée - Université Sorbonne Paris Nord（索邦巴黎北大学吉莱研究所分析与几何应用实验室）
In previous work, the first author, Ghioca, and the third author introduced a broad dynamical framework giving rise to many classical sequences from number theory and algebraic combinatorics. Specifically, these are sequences of the form $f(Φ^n(x))$, where $Φ\colon X\to X$ and $f\colon X\to\mathbb{P}^1$ are rational maps defined over $\overline{\mathbb{Q}}$ and $x\in X(\overline{\mathbb{Q}})$ is a point whose forward orbit avoids the indeterminacy loci of $Φ$ and $f$. They conjectured that if the sequence is infinite, then $\limsup \frac{h(f(Φ^n(x)))}{\log n} > 0$. They also made a correspondi…
Let V be a plane smooth cubic curve over a finitely generated field k. The Mordell-Weil theorem for V states that there is a finite subset P \subset V(k) such that the whole V(k) can be obtained from P by drawing secants and tangents through pairs of previously constructed points and consecutively adding their new intersection points with V. In this paper we present numerical data regarding the analogous statement for cubic surfaces. For the surfaces examined, we also test Manin's conjecture relating the asymptotics of rational points of bounded height on a Fano variety with the rank of the Pi…
We describe two constructions of elliptic K3 surfaces starting from the Kummer surface of the Jacobian of a genus 2 curve. These parallel the base-change constructions of Kuwata for the Kummer surface of a product of two elliptic curves. One of these also involves the analogue of an Inose fibration. We use these methods to provide explicit examples of elliptic K3 surfaces over the rationals of geometric Mordell-Weil rank 15.
The Mordell-Lang conjecture describes the intersection of a finitely generated subgroup with a closed subvariety of a semiabelian variety. Equivalently, this conjecture describes the intersection of closed subvarieties with the set of images of the origin under a finitely generated semigroup of translations. We study the analogous question in which the translations are replaced by algebraic group endomorphisms (and the origin is replaced by another point). We show that the conclusion of the Mordell-Lang conjecture remains true in this setting if either (1) the semiabelian variety is simple, (2…
We prove a dynamical version of the Mordell-Lang conjecture for subvarieties of quasiprojective varieties X, endowed with the action of a morphism f:X --> X. We use an analytic method based on the technique of Skolem, Mahler, and Lech, along with results of Herman and Yoccoz from nonarchimedean dynamics.
Consider a smooth, geometrically irreducible, projective curve of genus $g \ge 2$ defined over a number field of degree $d \ge 1$. It has at most finitely many rational points by the Mordell Conjecture, a theorem of Faltings. We show that the number of rational points is bounded only in terms of $g$, $d$, and the Mordell-Weil rank of the curve's Jacobian, thereby answering in the affirmative a question of Mazur. In addition we obtain uniform bounded, in $g$ and $d$, for the number of geometric torsion points of the Jacobian which lie in the image of an Abel-Jacobi map. Both estimates generaliz…
We prove a special case of a dynamical analogue of the classical Mordell-Lang conjecture. In particular, let $ϕ$ be a rational function with no superattracting periodic points other than exceptional points. If the coefficients of $ϕ$ are algebraic, we show that the orbit of a point outside the union of proper preperiodic subvarieties of $(\bP^1)^g$ has only finite intersection with any curve contained in $(\bP^1)^g$. We also show that our result holds for indecomposable polynomials $ϕ$ with coefficients in $\bC$. Our proof uses results from $p$-adic dynamics together with an integrality argume…
We offer some theorems, mainly of finiteness, for certain patterns in elliptical billiards, related to periodic trajectories. For instance, if two players hit a ball at a given position and with directions forming a fixed angle in $(0,π)$, there are only finitely many cases for both trajectories being periodic. Another instance is the finiteness of the billiard shots which send a given ball into another one so that this falls eventually in a hole. These results have their origin in `relative' cases of the Manin-Mumford conjecture, and constitute instances of how arithmetical content may affect…
We present a reduction of the function field Mordell-Lang conjecture to the function field Manin-Mumford conjecture, in all characteristics, via model theory, but avoiding recourse to the dichotomy theorems for (generalized) Zariski structures. In this version 2, the quantifier elimination result in positive characteristic is extended from simple abelian varieties to all abelian varieties, completing the main theorem in the positive characteristic case. In version 3, some corrections are made to the proof of quantifier elimination in positive characteristic, and the paper is substantially reor…
Let K be an algebraically closed field of prime characteristic p, let N be a positive integer, let f be a self-map on the algebraic torus T=G_m^N defined over K, let V be a curve in T defined over K, and let x be a K-point of T. We show that the set S consisting of all positive integers n for which f^n(x) is contained in V is a union of finitely many arithmetic progressions, along with a finite set and with finitely many p-arithmetic sequences, which are sets of the form {b + ap^{kn}: n is a positive integer} where a and b are given rational numbers and k is a positive integer. We also prove t…
We propose a formulation of the relative Bogomolov conjecture and show that it gives an affirmative answer to a question of Mazur's concerning the uniformity of the Mordell-Lang conjecture for curves. In particular we show that the relative Bogomolov conjecture implies the uniform Manin-Mumford conjecture for curves. The proof is built up on our previous work "Uniformity in Mordell-Lang for curves".
Let k be an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0, let X=P^1\times A^N and let f be a rational endomorphism of X given by (x,y)--->(g(x), A(x)y), where g is a rational function, while A is an N-by-N matrix with entries in k(x). We prove that if g is of the form x--->ax+b, then each irreducible curve C of X which intersects some orbit of f in infinitely many points must be periodic under the action of f. In the case g is an endomorphism of degree greater than 1, then we prove that each irreducible subvariety Y of X intersecting an orbit of f in a Zariski dense set of points must be per…
We here aim to complete our model-theoretic account of the function field Mordell-Lang conjecture, avoiding appeal to dichotomy theorems for Zariski geometries, where we now consider the general case of semiabelian varieties. The main result is a reduction, using model-theoretic tools, of the semiabelian case to the abelian case.
Let K be an algebraically closed field of prime characteristic p, let X be a semiabelian variety defined over a finite subfield of K, let f be a regular self-map on X defined over K, let V be a subvariety of X defined over K, and let x be a K-point of X. The Dynamical Mordell-Lang Conjecture in characteristic p predicts that the set S consisting of all positive integers n for which f^n(x) lies on V is a union of finitely many arithmetic progressions, along with finitely many p-sets, which are sets consisting of all integers of the form c_1 p^{k_1 n_1} + ... + c_m p^{k_m n_m} (as we vary n_1,..…
We use Hodge theory to prove a new upper bound on the ranks of Mordell-Weil groups for elliptic curves over function fields after regular geometrically Galois extensions of the base field, improving on previous results of Silverman and Ellenberg, when the base field has characteristic zero and the supports of the conductor of the elliptic curve and of the ramification divisor of the extension are disjoint.
Consider a one-parameter family of smooth, irreducible, projective curves of genus $g\ge 2$ defined over a number field. Each fiber contains at most finitely many rational points by the Mordell Conjecture, a theorem of Faltings. We show that the number of rational points is bounded only in terms of the family and the Mordell--Weil rank of the fiber's Jacobian. Our proof uses Vojta's approach to the Mordell Conjecture furnished with a height inequality due to the second- and third-named authors. In addition we obtain uniform bounds for the number of torsion in the Jacobian that lie each fiber o…
Let $K$ be a field finitely generated over ${\Q}$, and $A$ an Abelian variety defined over $K$. Then by the Mordell-Weil Theorem, the set of rational points $A(K)$ is a finitely-generated Abelian group. In this paper, assuming Tate's Conjecture on algebraic cycles, we prove a limit formula for the Mordell-Weil rank of an arbitrary family of Abelian varieties $A$ over a number field $k$; this is the Abelian fibration analogue of the Nagao formula for elliptic surfaces $E$, originally conjectured by Nagao, and proven by Rosen and Silverman to be equivalent to Tate's Conjecture for $E$. We also g…
We prove a few uniform versions of the Mordell-Lang Conjecture and of the Shafarevich Conjecture for curves over function fields and their rational points. The main focus is on function fields having high transcendence degree over the complex numbers.
Almost one decade ago, Poonen constructed the first examples of algebraic varieties over global fields for which Skorobogatov's etale Brauer-Manin obstruction does not explain the failure of the Hasse principle. By now, several constructions are known, but they all share common geometric features such as large fundamental groups. In this paper, we construct simply connected fourfolds over global fields of positive characteristic for which the Brauer-Manin machinery fails. Contrary to earlier work in this direction, our construction does not rely on major conjectures. Instead, we establish a ne…
Let S be a smooth cubic surface over a field K. It is well-known that new K-rational points may be obtained from old ones by secant and tangent constructions. A Mordell-Weil generating set is a subset B of S(K) of minimal cardinality which generates S(K) via successive secant and tangent constructions. Let r(S,K) be the cardinality of such a Mordell-Weil generating set. Manin posed what is known as the Mordell-Weil problem for cubic surfaces: if K is finitely generated over its prime subfield then r(S,K) is finite. In this paper, we prove a special case of this conjecture. Namely, if S contain…
We give an effective proof of Faltings' theorem for curves mapping to Hilbert modular stacks over odd-degree totally real fields. We do this by giving an effective proof of the Shafarevich conjecture for abelian varieties of $\mathrm{GL}_2$-type over an odd-degree totally real field. We deduce for example an effective height bound for $K$-points on the curves $C_a : x^6 + 4y^3 = a^2$ ($a\in K^\times$) when $K$ is odd-degree totally real. (Over $\overline{\mathbb{Q}}$ all hyperbolic hyperelliptic curves admit an étale cover dominating $C_1$.)
