Néron-Tate heights on algebraic curves and subgroups of the modular group (Q1777261)

Let \(X_E\) be a geometrically irreducible curve over a number field \(E\). The main result (theorem 4.10) gives an explicit formula for the Néron-Tate height pairing \(\langle D_1, D_2 \rangle _{\text{NT}}\) of any two divisors \(D_1, D_2\) on \(X_E\) of degree \(0\), which depends on the choice of an appropriate Belyi morphism and involves the scattering constants of corresponding subgroups of \(\text{SL}_2(\mathbb Z)\). This is achieved as follows: first choose a Belyi uniformization \(X_E \simeq X(\Gamma)\), where \(\Gamma \leq \text{SL}_2 (\mathbb Z)\), such that \(D_1\) and \(D_2\) become cuspidal divisors. By extending Arakelov theory, (the Picard class of) each point supporting \(D_i\) yields a hermitian, logarithmically singular line bundle on the arithmetic surface associated to that Belyi uniformization (Definition 4.2), and by the formula of Faltings-Hriljac (Proposition 1.9) \(\langle D_1, D_2 \rangle _{\text{NT}}\) is expressed with the generalized arithmetic intersection number of the associated line bundles. This theory was developed by the author in [J. Reine Angew. Math. 534, 209--236 (2001; Zbl 1084.14028)]. The key part of the proof is theorem 4.4, where the intersection numbers are explicitly calculated. Here the scattering constants (Definition 2.4) enter, which are derived from the Fourier expansion of non-holomorphic Eisenstein series for each cusp involved.