Torsion points of small order on hyperelliptic curves (Q2147389)

Let \(C\) be a smooth hyperelliptic curve of genus \(g>1\) over an algebraically closed field \(K\) such that \(\mathrm{char}(K)\neq 2\), let \(i:C\rightarrow C\) be the hyperelliptic involution and let \(w\in C\) be one of the \(2g+2\) Weiestrass points in \(C\). Consider the canonical embedding \(j: C \hookrightarrow JC\) sending \(p\in C\) to the class of \(p-w\). The injection \(j\) allows to identify the curve \(C\) with its image in \(JC\). A theorem of Raynaud (Manin-Mumford conjecture) asserts that the set of torsion points in \(C\) is finite [\textit{M. Raynaud}, Invent. Math. 71, 207--233 (1983; Zbl 0564.14020)]. It is well known that points of order 2 on C are precise all the remaining \((2g + 1)\) Weierstrass points. Moreover, if \(d\) is a positive integer such that \(3\leq d \leq 2g\), then \(C\) does not contain torsion points of order \(d\) [\textit{Y. G. Zarhin}, Izv. Math. 83, No. 3, 501--520 (2019; Zbl 1419.14044)]. Notice that if \(d>2\) and \(p\in C\) is a \(d\)-torsion point, then \(i(p)\) is also a torsion point of the same order \(d\) in \(C\). It follows that \(\mathcal{C}^*_d(K)\), the set of \(d\)-torsion points in \(C\), has even cardinality. In [\textit{B. M. Bekker} and \textit{Y. G. Zarhin}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 373, No. 11, 8059--8094 (2020; Zbl 1465.14031)] the authors show that if \(2g + 1\) is a power of \(\mathrm{char}(K)\), then \(|\mathcal{C}^*_{2g+1}(K)|\leq 2\) while if \(2g + 1\) is not a power of \(\mathrm{char}(K)\), then there are infinitely many mutually non-isomorphic curves \(C\) with \(|\mathcal{C}^*_{2g+1}(K)|\geq 4\). In the paper under review, the authors show that when \(\mathrm{char} K\) is zero or is an odd prime that is a primitive root modulo \(2g+1\), then (for a given \(g\)) there are at most finitely many (up to an isomorphism) pairs \((C, w)\) such that \(C\) contains at least six points of order \(2g + 1\).