Unlikely intersections in semiabelian surfaces (Q2324676)

Let \(\mathbb{Q}^{\mathrm{alg}}\) be an algebraic closure of \(\mathbb{Q}\), \(E_0\) an elliptic curve over \(\mathbb{Q}^{\mathrm{alg}}\) with complex multiplications, and let \(X\) be a smooth irreducible algebraic curve over \(\mathbb{Q}^{\mathrm{alg}}.\) Furthermore, let \(G/X\) be an \(X\)-extension of \(E_{0/X}\) by \(\mathbb{G}_{m/X}\), \(q\) the section of \(\widehat{E}_{0/X} \rightarrow X\) corresponding (via \(\widehat{E}_{0/X} \cong \mathrm{Ext}_X(E_{0/X}, \mathbb{G}_{m/X}\))) to the isomorphism class of \(G/X\), and let \(s\) be a section of \(G/X,\) which, in turn, gives a section \(p:= \pi \circ s \in E_0(X)\) where \(\pi : G \rightarrow E_0\) is the projection map. Finally, we identify \(q\) with its image in \(E_0(X)\) under the natural isomorphism \(\widehat{E}_{0} \cong E_0,\) and write \(G \cong G_q.\) In this situation, one of the main theorems of this paper provides a condition for the two sections \(p, q\) being linearly dependent over \(\mathrm{End}(E_0).\) More precisely, it says that if we assume \(G \cong G_q\) is a nonconstant (so that a nonisosplit) extension, \(s\) is a section of \(G \rightarrow X\) (all defined over \(\mathbb{Q}^{\mathrm{alg}}\)), and the set \[\Xi_s:=\{\xi \in X(\mathbb{Q}^{\mathrm{alg}})~|~s(\xi)~\text{is a Ribet point of its fiber}~G_{\xi} \cong G_{q(\xi)}\}\] is infinite, then those two sections \(p\) and \(q\) are linearly dependent over \(\mathrm{End}(E_0)\), or equivalently, there exists a nonconstant or trivial section \(s^{\prime} \in \mathbb{G}_m(X)\) such that \(s-s^{\prime}\) is a Ribet section of \(G/X.\) The authors prove the result by: (i) showing a weaker version of the theorem, which says that \(p\) and \(q\) are linearly dependent over \(\mathrm{End}(E_0)\) modulo \(E_0(\mathbb{Q}^{\mathrm{alg}}),\) following the \(\mathfrak{o}\)-minimality strategy of Pila-Zannier and Masser-Zannier carefully; (ii) (under the conclusion of the weaker version of the theorem) establishing the theorem for the case when \(p,q\) are linearly dependent over \(\mathbb{Z}\) modulo \(E_0(\mathbb{Q}^{\mathrm{alg}})\) and \(p\) is not constant, again using the \(\mathfrak{o}\)-minimality strategy with the help of a theorem of \textit{J. H. Silverman} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 342, 197--211 (1983; Zbl 0505.14035)] and the orthogonality properties of Néron-Tate pairings; \newline (iii) completing the proof of the theorem by considering the last case where we reduce it to the case of \(p\) being a constant section, and proving that \(p\) must be torsion in this situation using a duality argument and McQullan's Mordell-Lang theorem for semiabelian varieties [\textit{M. McQuillan}, Invent. Math. 120, No. 1, 143--159 (1995; Zbl 0848.14022)]. As an interesting consequence of the above theorem, by considering the case when \(X=\widehat{E}_0\) is the parameter space of the universal extension \(\mathcal{P}_0\) of \(E_0\) by \(\mathbb{G}_m,\) where \(\mathcal{P}_0\) is given the structure of a mixed Shimura variety, the authors prove that the mixed Shimura variety \(\mathcal{P}_0\) satisfies the Zilber-Pink conjecture (on unlikely intersections) over number fields by combining a Gao's work on the André-Oort conjecture [\textit{Z. Gao}, J. Reine Angew. Math. 732, 85--146 (2017; Zbl 1422.11140)] with their own result, which reads: if \(W\) is an irreducible algebraic curve over \(\mathbb{Q}^{\mathrm{alg}}\) in \(\mathcal{P}_0\) containing infinitely many points lying on special curves of \(\mathcal{P}_0,\) then \(W\) is contained in a special surface of \(\mathcal{P}_0.\)