Semistable reduction of abelian varieties over extensions of small degree (Q1295620)

Let \(F\) be a field and \(X\) an abelian variety defined over \(F\). Let \(n>4\) be a rational integer. In a previous paper [see Ann. Inst. Fourier 45, 403-420 (1995; Zbl 0818.14017)] the authors proved that \(X\) has semistable reduction at a place \(v\) of \(F\) coprime with \(n\) if and only if there exists a subgroup \(S\) of \(n\)-torsion points of \(X\) such that all the points of \(S\) and of its dual \(S^*\) for the Weil pairing are defined over an extension of \(F\) unramified at \(v\). The aim of this text is to treat the remaining cases, i.e. the cases of \(n=2,3,4\) (Theorem 5.2). The abelian variety acquires semistable reduction over every degree \(4,3,2\) extension of \(F\) which is totally ramified at a discrete valuation \(v\) coprime with \(n\) if and only if there exists a subgroup \(S\) of \(n\)-torsion points of \(X\) such that the inertia group \(I\) at a fixed extension of \(v\) to \(F^s\) (separable closure of \(F\)) acts as the identity on \(S\) and \(S^*\). It is easy to see that this last condition is equivalent to the fact that all the points of \(S\) and \(S^*\) are defined over an extension of \(F\) which is unramified over \(v\). This criterion to check semistable reduction comes together with necessary and sufficient conditions for semistable reduction of \(X\) over extensions of degree \(4,3,2\) of \(F\) which are totally ramified above \(v\) (Theorem 5.5). If \(L\) is such an extension of \(F\) then \(X\) has semistable reduction over \(L\) if and only if there exists a finite extension \(K\) unramified at \(v\), an abelian variety \(Y\) defined over \(K\) with a separable \(K\)-isogeny to \(X\) and a subgroup \(S\) of \(n\)-torsion points of \(Y\) such that all the points of \(S\) and \(S^*\) are defined over a finite extension of \(K\) which is unramified above \(v\). Note that in the last section of this article, some explicit examples are given to show that the results are sharp.