On the distribution of the number of points on algebraic curves in extensions of finite fields (Q2275727)

Let \(\mathcal C\) be a smooth absolutely irreducible curve of genus \(g\geq 1\) defined over \({\mathbb F}_q\), and let \(\#{\mathcal C}({\mathbb F}_{q^n})\) denote the number of \({\mathbb F}_{q^n}\)-rational points on the projective model of \(\mathcal C\). Let \(\#{\mathcal C}({\mathbb F}_{q^n})=q^n-1-a_n\). The authors study the distribution of ratios \(\alpha_n=a_n/(2gq^{n/2})\) in \([-1,1]\), \(n=1,2,\dots\). Let \(Z(T)=\prod_{1\leq j\leq 2g}(1-\tau_jT)/((1-T)(1-qT))\) be the zeta-function of \(\mathcal C\) over \({\mathbb F}_q\), and \(\tau_j=q^{1/2}e^{\pi i\vartheta_j}\), \(\tau_{j+g}=q^{1/2}e^{-\pi i\vartheta_j}\) with \(\vartheta_j\in[0,1]\) for \(j=1,\dots,g\). Denote by \(T_{\beta,\gamma}(N)\) the number of ratios \(\alpha_n\in[\beta,\gamma]\) for \(n=1,\dots,N\). The authors prove that if \(\vartheta_1\),\dots, \(\vartheta_g\) are linearly independent modulo \(1\) then there is a constant \(\eta>0\) depending only on \(q\) and \(g\), such that uniformly over \(-1\leq \beta\leq \gamma\leq1\) we have \(T_{\beta,\gamma}(N)=\lambda_g(\beta,\gamma)N+O(N^{1-\eta})\), where \(\lambda_g\) is given explicitly. In the second main result of the paper it is proved that if \(\mathcal C\) is either an ordinary elliptic curve or a curve of genus \(g=2\) which has an absolutely simple Jacobian then the numbers \(\vartheta_1\),\dots, \(\vartheta_g\) are linearly independent modulo \(1\).