Lifting and automorphy of reducible mod \(p\) Galois representations over global fields (Q2118066)

``\textit{J.-P. Serre}'s modularity conjecture [Duke Math. J. 54, 179--230 (1987; Zbl 0641.10026)] asserts that an odd, irreducible, continuous representation \(\overline{\rho}: \text{Gal}(\mathbb Q/\mathbb Q) \to \text{GL}_2(k)\) with \(k\) a finite field of characteristic \(p\) arises from a newform, and was proved in [\textit{C. Khare} and \textit{J.-P. Wintenberger}, Invent. Math. 178, No. 3, 485--504 (2009; Zbl 1304.11041)]. Wiles in the introduction of his paper on Fermat's Last Theorem [\textit{A. Wiles}, Ann. Math. (2) 141, No. 3, 443--551 (1995; Zbl 0823.11029)] raises the question of whether one can prove an analogue of Serre's conjecture in the reducible case, going beyond the well-known conclusion of modularity of an odd reducible \(\overline{\rho}\) up to semisimplification (see Lemma 7.3). Wiles notes on [loc. cit, page 445]: \textit{Even in the reducible case not much is known about the problem in the form which we have described it, and in that case it should be observed that one must also choose the lattice carefully as only the semisimplification of \(\overline{\rho}_{f,\lambda} = \rho_{ f,\lambda} (\mod \lambda)\) is independent of the choice of lattice in \(K^2_{f,\lambda}\)}.'' ``We resolve this problem in Theorem B below, under a mild hypothesis that rules out some cases when a twist of \(\overline{\rho}\) has Serre weight \(p-1\), making use of developments of Wiles's method of modularity lifting and developments of Ramakrishna's method of lifting Galois representations. Our work improves on the results of \textit{S. Hamblen} and \textit{R. Ramakrishna} [Am. J. Math. 130, No. 4, 913--944 (2008; Zbl 1218.11055)]. We follow their strategy of proving automorphy.''