Abelian varieties over fields of finite characteristic (Q2248483)

Let \(p\) be a prime, \(K\) a finitely generated field extension of \(\mathbb{F}_p\), and \(A\) and \(B\) abelian varieties over \(K\). For a prime \(l \neq p\), let \(V_l A\) and \(V_l B\) denote the \(\mathbb{Q}_l\)-Tate modules of \(A\) and \(B\). As was observed in [\textit{L. Moret-Bailly}, Pinceaux de variétés abéliennes. Astérisque 129, 266 p. (1985; Zbl 0595.14032), XII.2.5] (which extends earlier results of [\textit{J. Tate}, Invent. Math. 2, 134--144 (1966; Zbl 0147.20303)] and [\textit{Yu. G. Zarkhin}, Math. Notes 19, 240--244 (1976); translation from Mat. Zametki 19, 393--400 (1976; Zbl 0342.14011)]), \(V_l A\) is a semisimple \(\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{K}/K)\)-module and \[ \mathrm{Hom}_K(A, B) \otimes_{\mathbb{Z}} \mathbb{Q}_l \rightarrow \mathrm{Hom}_{\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{K}/K)}(V_l A, V_l B) \] is bijective. The present paper is concerned with proving similar results for mod \(l\) torsion \(A[l]\) and \(B[l]\). Among other things, the paper under review proves that up to isomorphism there are finitely many abelian varieties over \(K\) that are \(K\)-isogenous to \(A\) via an isogeny of degree prime to \(p\) (such finiteness fails without the degree restriction: see [\textit{A. N. Parshin}, Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Mat. 36, 67--109 (1972; Zbl 0246.14007), \S3, Remark 3] or [Zbl 0595.14032, XII.2.4.1]), that \(A[l](\overline{K})\) is a semisimple \(\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{K}/K)\)-module for all but finitely many \(l\), and that \[ \mathrm{Hom}_K(A, B) \otimes_{\mathbb{Z}} \mathbb{Z}/l\mathbb{Z} \rightarrow \mathrm{Hom}_{\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{K}/K)}(A[l](\overline{K}), B[l](\overline{K})) \] is bijective for all but finitely many \(l\). The key input to the proofs is the finiteness of the number of principally polarized abelian varieties that are \(K\)-isogenous to \(A\) via an isogeny of degree prime to \(p\); this finiteness is provided by [Zbl 0595.14032, XII.2.4]. The arguments of the present paper may be likewise combined with [\textit{G. Faltings}, ``Complements to Mordell'', in: Rational points. Seminar Bonn/Wuppertal 1983/84. Braunschweig-Wiesbaden: Friedr. Vieweg \& Sohn. 203--227 (1984; Zbl 0588.14027), Theorem 2] to extend the claims above (as well as the other results of \S2 except possibly Theorem 2.12 and Corollary 2.13) to the case when \(K\) is a finitely generated field extension of \(\mathbb{Q}\); some cases of such extensions have already appeared in [\textit{Yu. G. Zarhin}, Invent. Math. 79, 309--321 (1985; Zbl 0557.14024)], [\textit{Yu. G. Zarkhin}, Duke Math. J. 54, 131--145 (1987; Zbl 0632.14035)], and [\textit{A. N. Skorobogatov} and \textit{Y. G. Zarhin}, J. Algebr. Geom. 17, No. 3, 481--502 (2008; Zbl 1157.14008)]. We conclude by mentioning two further results, which illustrate the other theorems proved in the paper. Theorem 2.12: if the image of \(\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{K}/K)\) in \(\mathrm{End}_{\mathbb{Z}/l\mathbb{Z}}(A[l](\overline{K}))\) is \(l\)-solvable (e.g.,~is abelian) for infinitely many \(l\), then \(A_{\overline{K}}\) has complex multiplication. Corollary 2.17: if the prime-to-\(p\) part of the torsion subgroup of \(A(K^{\mathrm{ab}})\) is infinite, where \(K^{\mathrm{ab}}/K\) is the maximal abelian subextension of \(\overline{K}/K\), then \(A\) has a nonzero \(K\)-isogeny factor that has complex multiplication (over \(K\)).