Square-free orders for CM elliptic curves modulo <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>

Let E be an elliptic curve defined over , of conductor N, and with complex multiplication. We prove unconditional and conditional asymptotic formulae for the number of ordinary primes , p ≤ x, for which the group of points of the reduction of E modulo p has square-free order. These results are related to the problem of finding an asymptotic formula for the number of primes p for which the group of points of E modulo p is cyclic, first studied by Serre (1977). They are also related to the stronger problem about primitive points on E modulo p, formulated by Lang and Trotter (Bull Am Math Soc 83:289–292, 1977), and the one about the primality of the order of E modulo p, formulated by Koblitz Pacific J. Math. 131(1):157–165, 1988].