Some aspects of the theory of elliptic curves over number fields (Q1078270)

In the article under consideration, an overview is given on the most interesting and popular features of the arithmetic of elliptic curves. In the first section, it is introduced the general theory of elliptic curves \((=\) plane cubic curves having a rational point) over arbitrary fields, i.e. normal forms, group law, structure of torsion points. Next, the most important facts concerning elliptic curves over finite and local fields are collected without proof. In the third (and central) section, elliptic curves over number fields are discussed. The article concentrates on the interrelations of different problems, and contains no proofs, therefore the reviewer restricts to give just a list of cross-words handled: Theorems of Mordell-Weil, Serre, and Mazur on finiteness properties of groups of rational points; Galois cohomology and Tate-Shafarevich group; conjectures of Hasse-Weil, Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer, and Taniyama-Weil; Theorems of Coates-Wiles and Gross-Zagier. In a last section, curves of type \(y^ 2=x^ 3+k\) over \({\mathbb{Q}}\) are discussed in detail, using the results presented before. There is a large and most valuable bibliography containing most of the relevant papers on the subject that appeared in the last years.