Class groups and local indecomposability for non-CM forms (Q2119384)

Let \(\rho_f : \text{Gal}(\overline{\mathbb Q}/\mathbb Q) \rightarrow \text{GL}_2(\overline{\mathbb Q}_p)\) be the Galois representation attached to a \(p\)-ordinary cuspidal eigenform \(f\) of weight \(k \ge 2\). If \(f\) has complex multiplication, then the restriction of \(\rho_f\) to \(\text{Gal}(\overline{\mathbb Q}_p/\mathbb Q_p)\) is a sum of two characters. A question of R. Greenberg asks whether the converse (CG) is true. The paper first surveys the known results about (CG) and related results, in particular the case of weight \(k = 2\) over a totally real field [\textit{B. Zhao}, Ann. Inst. Fourier 64, No. 4, 1521--1560 (2014; Zbl 1306.11046)]. The main result of the paper proves the converse in certain situations in higher weight: it is assumed \(p \ge 5\), and the reduction \(\bar f\) of \(f\) is congruent to a form with complex multiplication by \(K\) in which \(p\) splits, as well as some other technical assumptions. The form with complex multiplication is associated to a character \(\bar \psi\) of \(G_K\) for some imaginary quadratic field \(K\) and a certain class group \(X(\psi^-)\) is attached to \(\bar \psi\). On the hypothesis that \(X(\psi^-) = 0\), it is shown that if \(\rho_f\) splits locally at \(p\), then \(f\) has complex multiplication. The paper proves further that \(X(\psi^-) = 0\) is equivalent to a stronger form of (CG). In the appendix, a different proof of the main result of the paper is given under additional hypotheses.