Mod \(pq\) Galois representations and Serre's conjecture (Q1869799)

Fix odd primes \(p\), \(q\), \(p\neq q\). The authors investigate when a pair of \(\text{mod }p\) and \(\text{mod }q\) representations of the absolute Galois group \(G_K\) of a number field \(K\) simultaneously arises from an automorphic form (motive). Consider \(1\)-dimensional representations \(\rho: G_K\to\overline{\mathbb{F}}^\times_p\), \(\rho': G_K\to \overline{\mathbb{F}}^\times_q\). The authors prove a general criterion for the existence of a Hecke character \(\chi\) of \(K\) such that \(\overline\chi_p\simeq \rho\otimes\phi\) and \(\overline\chi_q\simeq \rho'\otimes\phi'\), for some unramified characters \(\phi: G_K\to \overline{\mathbb{F}}^\times_p\), \(\phi': G_K\to \overline{\mathbb{F}}^\times_q\) (Section 2, Theorem 1). In Section 3 they formulate a \(\text{mod }pq\) version of Serre's conjecture (Conjecture 1).