Ranks of elliptic curves over \(\mathbb{Z}_p^2\)-extensions (Q2182022)

Let \(E\) be an elliptic curve defined over \(\mathbb{Q}\) and let \(p\) be an odd prime. Let \(K\) be an imaginary quadratic field in which \(p\) splits. Assume that both the conductor of \(E\) and the class number of \(K\) are coprime to \(p\). In this paper the authors develop methods to bound the Mordell-Weil rank along the unique \(\mathbb{Z}_p^2\)-extension \(K_{\infty}\) of \(K\). \par More precisely, let \(K_n\) be the subfield of \(K_{\infty}\) such that \(\mathrm{Gal}(K_n/K) \simeq (\mathbb{Z}/ p^n\mathbb{Z})^2\) and let \(\Lambda := \mathbb{Z}_p[[\mathrm{Gal}(K_{\infty}/K)]]\) be the Iwasawa algebra. Assuming that certain signed Selmer groups are \(\Lambda\)-cotorsion when \(p\) is supersingular, it is shown that \(\mathrm{rank}( E(K_n)) = O(p^n)\). \par The ordinary case is actually rather easy. A control theorem of \textit{R. Greenberg} [Compos. Math. 136, No. 3, 255--297 (2003; Zbl 1158.11319)] and a general growth lemma due to \textit{M. Harris} [Compos. Math. 121, No. 1, 105--108 (2000; Zbl 1060.14524)] immediately imply the result. The supersingular case is more difficult. However, as long as \(a_p=0\) (that is \(|\tilde{E}(\mathbb F_p)| = p+1\)) the result can be deduced from work of \textit{S. Kobayashi} [Invent. Math. 152, No. 1, 1--36 (2003; Zbl 1047.11105)] and \textit{B. D. Kim} [Can. J. Math. 66, No. 4, 826--843 (2014; Zbl 1314.11065)] on signed Selmer groups. The main body of the paper is then concerned with the case \(p \mid a_p \not= 0\). Note that the Hasse bound then forces \(p=3\) as \(p\) is odd. \par In this special case, there is no control theorem for the Selmer group, but the authors control a quotient thereof, namely the so-called fine Selmer group. So it remains to study the kernel. The latter is replaced by a more global Selmer-type group with a potentially larger rank, which can be related to Coleman maps. By splitting up the local modules that contain the defining Selmer condition into isotypical components, it is shown that (the isotypical part of) a certain local cohomology class lies inside the Selmer condition if and only if it connects to a zero of a \(p\)-adic power series via a pair of Coleman maps. The result is then deduced from the fact that the series can have only finitely many zeros.