More points than expected on curves over finite field extensions (Q5927539)

Given integers \(g \geq 1\) and \(r\geq 1\) and a prime power \(q\), one may define \(A(g,q,r)\) to be the weighted average value of \(\#C({\mathbb F}_{q^r})\) as \(C\) ranges over the set of isomorphism classes of genus-\(g\) curves over \({\mathbb F}_q\), where each curve is assigned a weight inversely proportional to the size of its automorphism group. (In the case \(g=1\) one uses the automorphism group of \(C\) as an elliptic curve, not as a genus-\(1\) curve.) The authors study the growth of \(A(g,q,r)\) for fixed \(g\) and \(r\) as \(q\to\infty\); in particular, they show that for fixed \(g\) and \(r\) we have \[ A(g,q,r) = \begin{cases} q^r + o(q^{r/2}) & \text{ if }r \text{ is odd or } r > 2g;\\ q^r + q^{r/2} + o(q^{r/2}) & \text{ if }r = 2,4,\ldots, 2g.\end{cases} \] They prove this using results of \textit{B.~J.~Birch} [J.~Lond.~Math.~Soc. 43, 57-60 (1968; Zbl 0183.25503)] for \(g=1\) and \textit{N.~M.~Katz} and \textit{P.~Sarnak} [Random matrices, Frobenius eigenvalues, and monodromy, Am.~Math.~Soc., Providence, RI (1999; Zbl 0958.11004)] for \(g>1\). The authors also study some special families of curves more closely. For example, let us define \(H(g,q,r)\) to be the weighted average value of \(\#C({\mathbb F}_{q^r})\) as \(C\) ranges over the set of isomorphism classes of genus-\(g\) hyperelliptic curves over \({\mathbb F}_q\). Then it is proven that \[ H(q,g,2) = q^2 + q + 1 - (-1)^g q^{1 - 2g} \quad\text{if \(q\) is odd}. \] Based on computer experimentation, the authors guess similar formulas for small even values of \(r\) when \(g = 2\) and \(g = 3\).