On curves of genus 2 with Jacobian of GL2-type

Ribet [Ri] has generalized the conjecture of Shimura–Taniyama–Weil to abelian varieties defined over Q,giving rise to the study of abelian varieties of GL₂-type. In this context, all curves over Q of genus one have Jacobian variety of GL₂-type. Our aim in this paper is to begin with the analysis of which curves of genus 2 have Jacobian variety of GL₂-type. To this end, we restrict our attention to curves with rational Rosenhain model and non-abelian automorphism group, and use the embedding of this group into the endomorphism algebra of its Jacobian variety to determine if it is of GL₂-type. Received: 31 March 1998 / Revised version: 29 June 1998     

Algebraic points of low degree¶on the Fermat curve of degree seven

We determine all algebraic points of degree at most five over Q on the Fermat curve of degree seven. Received: 26 February 1998 / Revised version: 1 June 1998     

Finding rational points on bielliptic genus 2 curves

We discuss a technique for trying to find all rational points on curves of the form Y ²=f ₃ X ⁶+f ₂ X ⁴+f ₁ X ²+f ₀, where the sextic has nonzero discriminant. This is a bielliptic curve of genus 2. When the rank of the Jacobian is 0 or 1, Chabauty's Theorem may be applied. However, we shall concentrate on the situation when the rank is at least 2. In this case, we shall derive an associated family of elliptic curves, defined over a number field ℚα. If each of these elliptic curves has rank less than the degree of ℚα : ℚ, then we shall describe a Chabauty-like technique which may be applied to try to find all the points (x,y) defined over ℚα) on the elliptic curves, for which x∈ℚ. This in turn allows us to find all ℚ-rational points on the original genus 2 curve. We apply this to give a solution to a problem of Diophantus (where the sextic in X is irreducible over ℚ), which simplifies the recent solution of Wetherell. We also present two examples where the sextic in X is reducible over ℚ. Received: 27 November 1998 / Revised version: 4 June 1999     

Automorphism groups of real algebraic curves which are double covers of the real projective plane

For each integer g≥ 3 we give the complete list of groups acting as full automorphism groups of real algebraic curves of genus $g$ which are double covers of the real projective plane. Explicit polynomial equations of such curves and the formulae of their automorphisms are also given. Received: 29 April 1999 / Revised version: 26 November 1999     

Euler–Poincaré formula in equal characteristic¶under ordinariness assumptions

Let X be an irreducible smooth projective curve over an algebraically closed field of characteristic p>0. Let ? be either a finite field of characteristic p or a local field of residue characteristic p. Let F be a constructible étale sheaf of $\BF$-vector spaces on X. Suppose that there exists a finite Galois covering π:Y→X such that the generic monodromy of π^* F is pro-p and Y is ordinary. Under these assumptions we derive an explicit formula for the Euler–Poincaré characteristic χ(X,F) in terms of easy local and global numerical invariants, much like the formula of Grothendieck–Ogg–Shafarevich in the case of different characteristic. Although the ordinariness assumption imposes severe restrictions on the local ramification of the covering π, it is satisfied in interesting cases such as Drinfeld modular curves. Received: 7 December 1999 / Revised version: 28 January 2000     

Siegel cusp forms of degree 12k and weight 12k

In this paper we prove the existence of cusp forms relative to the full modular group whose genus is equal to the weight. These cusp forms are linear combination of theta series. Received: 26 July 1999 / Revised version: 16 September 1999     

Counting curves on rational surfaces

In [CH3], Caporaso and Harris derive recursive formulas counting nodal plane curves of degree d and geometric genus g in the plane (through the appropriate number of fixed general points). We rephrase their arguments in the language of maps, and extend them to other rational surfaces, and other specified intersections with a divisor. As applications, (i) we count irreducible curves on Hirzebruch surfaces in a fixed divisor class and of fixed geometric genus, (ii) we compute the higher-genus Gromov–Witten invariants of (or equivalently, counting curves of any genus and divisor class on) del Pezzo surfaces of degree at least 3. In the case of the cubic surface in (ii), we first use a result of Graber to enumeratively interpret higher-genus Gromov–Witten invariants of certain K-nef surfaces, and then apply this to a degeneration of a cubic surface. Received: 30 June 1999 / Revised version: 1 January 2000     

On height functions on Jacobian surfaces

The canonical height on an abelian variety is useful and important for the study of the Mordell-Weil group. But it is difficult to calculate the canonical height in general. We give an effective method to calculate the canonical height on a Jacobian surface. As an application, we verify the Birch-Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture for the Jacobian surface of a twisted modular curve. Received: 15 July 1996 / Revised version: 19 January 1997     

Towards the arithmetic degree of line bundles¶ on abelian varieties

In this paper we analyze the integral of the star-product of (n+1) Green currents associated to (n+1) global sections of an ample line bundle equipped with a translation invariant metric over an n-dimensional, polarized abelian variety. The integral is shown to equal the logarithm of the Petersson norm of a certain Siegel modular form, which is explicitly described in terms of the given data. This result can be interpreted as evaluating an archimedian height on a family of polarized abelian varieties. The key ingredient to the proof of the main formula is a dd ^c -variational formula for the integral under consideration. In the case of dimensions n=1,2,3 explicit examples in terms of classical Riemann theta functions are given. Received: 13 February 1998     

Compactification of the universal Picard over the moduli of stable curves

This article provides two different, but closely related, moduli problems, which in characteristic zero provide a type of compactification of the universal Picard over the moduli of stable curves. Although neither is of finite type, both are limits of a sequence of stacks, each of which is a separated algebraic stack of finite type. We discuss relations to previous compactifications and partial compactifications, give a number of examples related to this compactification, and work out the structure of its fibres over certain fixed curves. Some applications are also discussed. Received January 5, 1998; in final form April 1, 1999 / Published online July 3, 2000     

Pentes en cohomologie rigide et F-isocristaux unipotents

We study the slopes of Frobenius on the rigid cohomology and the rigid cohomology with compact support of an algebraic variety over a perfect field of positive characteristic. We then prove that any unipotent overconvergent F-isocrystal on a smooth variety has a slope filtration whose graded parts are pure. Received: 23 December 1998 / Revised version: 5 July 1999     

Fonction L unité d'un groupe de Barsotti-Tate

The purpose of this article is to give a cohomological formula for the unit-root part of the L-function associated to a Barsotti-Tate group G on a scheme S over a field of characteristic p when G extends to some compactification of S. This is an analogue of a part of a conjecture of Katz according to wich the L-function of an F-crystal should be expressed in terms of the p-adic etale sheaf corresponding to the unit-root part of the crystal. In order to carry out this project, we use the technics of [E-LS II] wich require in our case an extension of the Dieudonné crystalline theory ([B-B-M]) to “crystal of level mG” in the sense of Berthelot. We show that the unit-root L-function of the Dieudonné crystal associated to G can be expressed in terms of the syntomic cohomology of the Ext group of G by the constant sheaf.

Received: 24 March 1997 / Revised version: 6 January 1998     

Elliptic functions and equations of modular curves

Let be a prime. We show that the space of weight one Eisenstein series defines an embedding into ${mathbb P}^{(p-3)/2}X_1(p)$ for the congruence group that is scheme-theoretically cut out by explicit quadratic equations. Received: 8 November 2000 / Published online: 17 August 2001