On the Brauer-Siegel ratio for abelian varieties over function fields (Q2313553): Difference between revisions

The Brauer-Siegel theorem [\textit{R. Brauer}, Am. J. Math. 72, 739--746 (1950; Zbl 0038.17602)] says that if \([K : \mathbb{Q}] /\log d \to 0\) as \(d \to \infty\), where \(K\) runs through a sequence of Galois extensions of \(\mathbb{Q}\) with discriminant \(d = d_K\), then \({ \log (Rh)}/{\log \sqrt{d}} \to 1\), where \(R = R_K\) and \(h = h_K\) are the regulator and class number of \(K\). The analog of the Brauer-Siegel theorem for abelian varieties was formulated by \textit{M. Hindry} in [Ser. (N.S.) 4, 197--219 (2007; 1219.11099)] as follows: If \(A\) is an abelian variety over a global field \(K\) with regulator \(R\), Tate-Shafarevich group and exponential differential height \(H\), Hindry conjectured that the Brauer-Siegel ratio \[ \operatorname{BS}(A):= \frac{\log (R \times \text{order of the Tate-Shafarevich group})}{ \log H } \] tends to 1 for any sequence of abelian varieties over a fixed \(K\) with \(H \to \infty\). In [Mosc. Math. J. 16, No. 1, 45--93 (2016; Zbl 1382.11041)], \textit{M. Hindry} and \textit{A. Pacheco} considered the case where \(K\) is a global function field of characteristic \(p>0\) and proved, under the assumption that the Tate-Shafarevich is finite, that \[ 0\le\liminf_A\operatorname{BS}(A)\le\limsup_A\operatorname{BS}(A)=1, \] where the limits are over the family of all non-constant abelian varieties of a fixed dimension over \(K\) ordered by height. In the paper under review, the author proves several results about Brauer-Siegel ratios by through a direct approach to the Tate-Shafarevich group and the regulator. More precisely, the following results are proved in the paper: \begin{itemize} \item[1.] a conceptual proof that \(\liminf_A \operatorname{BS}(A) \ge 0\) via a lower bound on the regulator; \item[2.] a new connection between the growth of the order of the Tate-Shafarevich group as the finite ground field is extended and the number \(R \times |\text{Tate-Shaferich group}|\) over the given field; \item[3.] a general calculation of the limiting Brauer-Siegel ratio for the sequence \(E^{(p^n)}\) of Frobenius pull-backs of an elliptic curve \(E\); \item[4.] a new proof that \(\lim_d \operatorname{BS} (E_d)=1\) in the families of elliptic curves studied by Hindry-Pacheco and Griffon; \item[5.] proofs that \(\lim_d \operatorname{BS} (J_d)=1\) for families of Jacobians of all dimensions; \item[6.] and results on quadratic twists that illustrate the limitations of the \(p\)-adic techniques. \end{itemize}