Curves of genus two over fields of even characteristic

Curves over finite and local fields (11G20) Other nonalgebraically closed ground fields in algebraic geometry (14G27) Applications to coding theory and cryptography of arithmetic geometry (14G50)

Abstract: In this paper we classify curves of genus two over a perfect field k of characteristic two. We find rational models of curves with a given arithmetic structure for the ramification divisor and we give necessary and sufficient conditions for two models of the same type to be k-isomorphic. As a consequence, we obtain an explicit formula for the number of k-isomorphism classes of curves of genus two over a finite field. Moreover, we prove that the field of moduli of any curve coincides with its field of definition, by exhibiting rational models of curves with any prescribed value of their Igusa invariants. Finally, we use cohomological methods to find, for each rational model, an explicit description of its twists. In this way, we obtain a parameterization of all k-isomorphism classes of curves of genus two in terms of geometric and arithmetic invariants.

Review text

The authors provide a thorough and explicit analysis of the curves of genus~\(2\) over a perfect field \(k\) of characteristic~\(2\). If \(C\) is a genus-\(2\) curve over \(k\), then the differential divisor of the canonical map \(C\to P^1\) can be viewed as a multiset of cardinality \(6\) with an action of the absolute Galois group of \(k\). For each such Galois multiset~\(S\), the authors parametrize all genus-\(2\) curves over \(k\) whose differential divisor is isomorphic to~\(S\). Using their explicit models, the authors show that every genus-\(2\) curve over \(\overline{k}\) can be defined over its field of moduli. (The analogous statement for fields of characteristic not \(2\) is false; for every characteristic \(p\neq 2\), there exists a genus-\(2\) curve over a field of characteristic \(p\) that cannot be defined over its field of moduli.) Now let \(k\) be a finite field of characteristic~\(2\). The authors use their results to provide a formula for the number of genus-\(2\) curves over \(k\) whose differential divisors are a given Galois multiset. Reviewer's note: The authors construct invariants \(j_1\), \(j_2\), \(j_3\) of curves of genus \(2\) in characteristic \(2\) that they refer to as ``Igusa invariants, but they do not spell out the relationship between their invariants and those constructed by \textit{J.~Igusa} [Ann. Math. (2) 72, 612--649 (1960; Zbl 0122.39002)]. Igusa associated to every genus-\(2\) curve a vector \([J_2:J_4:J_6:J_8:J_{10}]\) in weighted projective space (with the weight of each entry being given by its subscript), and he showed that this mapping identified the coarse moduli space of genus-\(2\) curves with the affine subvariety of weighted projective space defined by \(J_{10}\neq 0\) and \(4J_8 + J_4^2 = J_2J_6\). The authors' invariants are given by \[ j_1^2 = J_{10}/J_2^5, \quad j_2^2 = (J_2^4J_8 + J_2^2 J_4^3 + J_4^4)/J_2^8, \quad j_3^2 = J_4/J_2^2 \] for ordinary curves, by \[ j_1 = 0, \quad j_2^2 = J_{10}^3/J_6^5, \quad j_3^8 = J_8 J_{10}^4/J_6^8 \] for non-ordinary non-supersingular curves, and by \[ j_1 = 0,\quad j_2 = 0, \quad j_3^8 = J_8^5 / J_{10}^4 \] for supersingular curves.

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