Non-divisible cycles on surfaces over local fields

In this paper, we are concerned with the reciprocity map of unramified class field theory for smooth projective surfaces over non-archimedean local fields which do not have potentially good reduction. We will construct two types of smooth projective surfaces whose reciprocity maps modulo positive integers are not injective. The first type is the case where the kernel of the reciprocity map is not divisible. The second is the case where the kernel of the reciprocity map is divisible, but where nevertheless the reciprocity map modulo some integer is not injective.     

Effectivity of Brauer-Manin obstructions

We study Brauer-Manin obstructions to the Hasse principle and to weak approximation, with special regard to effectivity questions.     

Torsion points on the jacobian of a Fermat quotient

Let p≥5 be a prime, ζ a primitive pth root of unity and λ=1−ζ. For 1≤s≤p−2, the smooth projective model C_p,s of the affine curve v^p=u^s(1−u) is a curve of genus (p−1)/2 whose jacobian J_p,s has complex multiplication by the ring of integers of the cyclotomic field Q(ζ). In 1981, Greenberg determined the field of rationality of the p-torsion subgroup of J_p,s and moreover he proved that the λ³-torsion points of J_p,s are all rational over Q(ζ). In this paper we determine quite explicitly the λ³-torsion points of J_p,1 for p=5 and p=7, as well as some further p-torsion points which have interesting arithmetical applications, notably to the complementary laws of Kummer’s reciprocity for pth powers.     

Effectivity of Brauer–Manin obstructions on surfaces

We study Brauer–Manin obstructions to the Hasse principle and to weak approximation on algebraic surfaces over number fields. A technique for constructing Azumaya algebra representatives of Brauer group elements is given, and this is applied to the computation of obstructions.     

The maximal singular fibres of elliptic K3 surfaces

We prove that the maximal singular fibres of an elliptic K3 surface have type I₁₉ and unless the characteristic of the ground field is 2. In characteristic 2, the maximal singular fibres are I₁₈ and . The paper supplements work of Shioda in [9] and [10]. Received: 23 September 2005     

Failure of the Hasse principle for Enriques surfaces

We construct an Enriques surface X over Q with empty étale-Brauer set (and hence no rational points) for which there is no algebraic Brauer–Manin obstruction to the Hasse principle. In addition, if there is a transcendental obstruction on X, then we obtain a K3 surface that has a transcendental obstruction to the Hasse principle.     

Integral generators for the cohomology ring of moduli spaces of sheaves over Poisson surfaces

Let M be a smooth and compact moduli space of stable coherent sheaves on a projective surface S with an effective (or trivial) anti-canonical line bundle. We find generators for the cohomology ring of M, with integral coefficients. When S is simply connected and a universal sheaf E exists over S×M, then its class [E] admits a Künneth decomposition as a class in the tensor product of the topological K-rings. The generators are the Chern classes of the Künneth factors of [E] in . The general case is similar.     

On the independence of Heegner points associated to distinct quadratic imaginary fields

Let E/Q be an elliptic curve with no CM and a fixed modular parametrization and let be Heegner points attached to the rings of integers of distinct quadratic imaginary fields k₁,…,kr. We prove that if the odd parts of the class numbers of k₁,…,kr are larger than a constant C=C(E,ΦE) depending only on E and ΦE, then the points P₁,…,Pr are independent in .     

A lower bound for the canonical height on elliptic curves over abelian extensions

Let E/K be an elliptic curve defined over a number field, let ? be the canonical height on E, and let K^ab/K be the maximal abelian extension of K. Extending work of M. Baker (IMRN 29 (2003) 1571-1582), we prove that there is a constant C(E/K)>0 so that every nontorsion point P∈E(K^ab) satisfies .     

Cubic surfaces violating the Hasse principle are Zariski dense in the moduli scheme

We construct new examples of cubic surfaces, for which the Hasse principle fails. Thereby we show that, over every number field, the counterexamples to the Hasse principle are Zariski dense in the moduli scheme of non-singular cubic surfaces.     

Motivic integral of K3 surfaces over a non-archimedean field

We prove a formula expressing the motivic integral (Loeser and Sebag, 2003) [34] of a K3 surface over C((t)) with semi-stable reduction in terms of the associated limit mixed Hodge structure. Secondly, for every smooth variety over a complete discrete valuation field we define an analogue of the monodromy pairing, constructed by Grothendieck in the case of abelian varieties, and prove that our monodromy pairing is a birational invariant of the variety. Finally, we propose a conjectural formula for the motivic integral of maximally degenerate K3 surfaces over an arbitrary complete discrete valuation field and prove this conjecture for Kummer K3 surfaces.     

Pesenti-Szpiro inequality for optimal elliptic curves

We study Pesenti-Szpiro inequality in the case of elliptic curves over F_q(t) which occur as subvarieties of Jacobian varieties of Drinfeld modular curves. In general, we obtain an upper-bound on the degrees of minimal discriminants of such elliptic curves in terms of the degrees of their conductors and q. In the special case when the level is prime, we bound the degrees of discriminants only in terms of the degrees of conductors. As a preliminary step in the proof of this latter result we generalize a construction (due to Gekeler and Reversat) of 1-dimensional optimal quotients of Drinfeld Jacobians.     

Discrete behavior of Seshadri constants on surfaces

Working over , we show that, apart possibly from a unique limit point, the possible values of multi-point Seshadri constants for general points on smooth projective surfaces form a discrete set. In addition to its theoretical interest, this result is of practical value, which we demonstrate by giving significantly improved explicit lower bounds for Seshadri constants on and new results about ample divisors on blow ups of at general points.     

Numerically positive divisors on algebraic surfaces

Numerically positive line bundles on a complex projective smooth algebraic surfaceS are studied. In particular for any such line bundleL Pic(S) we prove the following facts: (i)g(L) 0 and (ii)L is ample ifg(L) 1,g standing for the arithmetic genus. Some applications are discussed. We also investigate numerically positive non-ample line bundlesL withg(L)=2.     

Weak approximation on del Pezzo surfaces of degree 1

We study del Pezzo surfaces of degree 1 of the form

w²=z³+Ax⁶+By⁶     

On non-vanishing of cohomologies of generalized Raynaud polarized surfaces

We consider a family of slightly extended version of Raynaud’s surfaces X over the field of positive characteristic with Mumford-Szpiro type polarizations Z, which have Kodaira non-vanishing H¹(X,Z⁻ⁿ)≠0 for all 1≤n≤N with some N≥1. The surfaces are at least normal but smooth under a special condition. We also give a fairly large family of non-Mumford-Szpiro type polarizations Z_a,b with Kodaira non-vanishing.     

Generalized Greatest Common Divisors,Divisibility Sequences,and Vojta’s Conjecture for Blowups

We apply Vojta’s conjecture to blowups and deduce a number of deep statements regarding (generalized) greatest common divisors on varieties, in particular on projective space and on abelian varieties. Special cases of these statements generalize earlier results and conjectures. We also discuss the relationship between generalized greatest common divisors and the divisibility sequences attached to algebraic groups, and we apply Vojta’s conjecture to obtain a strong bound on the divisibility sequences attached to abelian varieties of dimension at least two.     

Torsion points on some abelian surfaces of CM-type

Let A be a two-dimensional abelian variety of CM-type defined over Q, which is not simple over C. Let p be a prime number. We show that torsion points of A(Q) of prime order p are possible only for p≦7.     

Elliptic fibrations on cubic surfaces

We classify elliptic fibrations birational to a nonsingular, minimal cubic surface over a field of characteristic zero. Our proof is adapted to provide computational techniques for the analysis of such fibrations, and we describe an implementation of this analysis in computer algebra.