The cuspidal torsion packet on hyperelliptic Fermat quotients (Q2483712)

Let \(l\) be an odd prime and let \(C_a\) be the Fermat quotient curve \(x^l=y(1-y)^a\). The cusps of \(C_a\) are the points \((0,0),(0,1)\) and \(\infty\). The cuspidal torsion packet is the set of torsion points of the Jacobian of \(C_a\) that lie on the image of \(C_a\) under the Albanese embedding with \(\infty\) as base point. \textit{R.~F.~Coleman, A.~Tamagawa}, and \textit{P.~Tzermias} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 496, 73--81 (1998; Zbl 0931.11024)] showed that for many values of \(a\) the cuspidal torsion packet is precisely the three cusps of \(C_a\); however, they did not consider the cases when \(C_a\) is hyperelliptic. The authors show that when \(C_a\) is hyperelliptic the torsion packet consists of the cusps and the Weierstrass points of \(C_a\). The proof uses explicit geometry and the action of Galois groups on torsion points, and does not rely on the \(p\)-adic integration theory of Coleman.