A note on congruences for theta divisors (Q2476532)

A theta divisor on an abelian variety \(A\) over a field is an effective ample divisor \(\Theta\) such that the global sections of the line bundle \(O_{A}(\Theta)\) are one-dimensional. For example, the image of the \((g-1)\)st symmetric power of a smooth projective curve \(C\) of genus \(g\) with a rational point in its Jacobian is a theta divisor. Berthelot, Bloch and Esnault proved the following Theorem 1.1. Let \(\Theta, \Theta'\) be two divisors on an abelian variety, all defined over a finite field \({\mathbb F}_{q.}\) Then \( | \Theta ({\mathbb F}_{q})| \equiv | \Theta' ({\mathbb F}_{q})| \mod q. \) Question 1.2. Is \(| \Theta | \equiv | \Theta' | \mod {\mathbb L} \in K_{0}(\mathrm{Var}_{k})\)? Here \(K_{0}(\mathrm{Var}_{k})\) denotes the naive Grothendieck ring of varieties over \(k,\) i.e. the free abelian group on isomorphism classes \([X]\) of varieties over \(k\) modulo the relations \([X] = [X -Y] + [Y]\) for \(Y \subset X\) a closed subvariety. The ring structure is given by product of varieties, and \({\mathbb L}\) is the class \([A^{1}_{k}]\) of the affine line. The author gives a negative answer to the above question using the fact that products of two elliptic curves can be Jacobians.