On intermediate Jacobians of cubic threefolds admitting an automorphism of order five (Q525695)

This paper decomposes up to isogeny the intermediate Jacobians of a special type of cubic threefolds. Let \(X\) be a smooth cubic threefold defined over \(\mathbb{C}\) admitting an automorphism of order five. Such cubic threefolds are described in [\textit{V. González-Aguilera} and \textit{A. Liendo}, Arch. Math. 97, No. 1, 25--37 (2011; Zbl 1231.14033)] using explicit equations. The main result of this paper is that the intermediate Jacobian \(J(X)\) of \(X\) is isogenous to \(E\times B^2\), where \(E\) is an elliptic curve and \(B\) is an abelian surface with real multiplication by \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{5})\), i.e. \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{5})\subset\mathrm{End}_{\mathbb{C}}(B)\otimes_{\mathbb Z} \mathbb{Q}\). Furthermore, the authors shows that the same conclusion also holds for \(X\) defined over any field \(k\) of characteristic zero containing a primitive fifth root of unity. Following \textit{J. P. Murre} [Compos. Math. 25, 161--206 (1972; Zbl 0242.14002)], the authors construct explicitly from \(X\) an algebraic curve \(\mathcal H_l\) with an involution \(\iota_l\), so that the Prym variety associated to the double cover \(\mathcal H_l\to\mathcal H_l/\iota_l\) is the intermediate Jacobian \(J(X)\). Under this geometric interpretation of \(J(X)\), the authors are able to construct concrete models of its elliptic component \(E\) and its abelian surface component \(B\) up to isogeny. The proofs and the constructions in this paper are explicit and hence very accessible to readers.