Reductions of points on elliptic curves (Q966437): Difference between revisions

Let \(E\) be an elliptic curve defined over \(\mathbb{Q}\) and let \(\Gamma\) be a subgroup of \(E(\mathbb{Q})\) of \(\mathbb{Z}\)-rank \(r\). For a prime number \(p\) of good reduction for \(E\), let \(\overline{\Gamma}\) be the reduction of \(\Gamma\) modulo \(p\) (in general the \(\bar{\;}\) will always denote reduction modulo some prime \(p\)). The paper deals with lower bounds for the cardinality of \(\overline{\Gamma}\) (as \(p\) varies) under certain standard conditions. In particular one needs to assume that there exists a \(P\in \Gamma\) of infinite order such that the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis holds for the Kummer fields \(K_m=\mathbb{Q}(E[m],\frac{1}{m}P)\) (for any \(m>1\) if \(E\) has no CM or for any \(m>2\) otherwise). Then the authors prove that, whenever \(r\geq 19\) (if \(E\) has no CM) or \(r\geq 6\) (if \(E\) has CM), \(|\overline{\Gamma}| \geq \frac{p}{f(p)}\), for any prime in a set of density 1 and for any function \(f\) going to \(+\infty\) at an arbitrary slow speed as \(x\rightarrow +\infty\). Moreover in the non CM case they prove that, assuming the Artin Holomorphy Conjecture for the fields \(K_m\,\), it suffices to take \(r\geq 11\) to get the same lower bound. The proof relies on a criterion for the divisibility of \([\overline{E}(\mathbb{F}_p):<\overline{P}>]\) by an arbitrary prime power \(\ell^n\,\). The criterion relates that divisibility with the presence of liftings of the \(p\)-Frobenius in certain subgroups of \(\text{Gal}(K_{\ell^n}/\mathbb{Q})\). Then a careful study of subgroups of \(\text{Gal}(K_{\ell^n}/\mathbb{Q})\), an application of Chebotarev density theorem and prime density estimates allow the authors to provide an upper bound for the cardinality of the sets \(\{p\leq x\;s.t.\;m\mid [\overline{E}(\mathbb{F}_p):<\overline{P}>]\,\}\) (for any positive \(m\)), which ultimately leads to the main statement.