On arithmetic class invariants (Q5947135)

The setting is as follows: \(E\) is an abelian scheme over a ring of \(S\)-integers \(O=O_{F,S}\). For every integer \(N>0\) and every \(P\in E(F)\) one may construct a \(G=E[N]\)-torsor over \(O\) by adjoining the point \({1\over N}P\). This torsor, \(\text{Spec}(C)\) say, gives rise to an element \(\psi_N(P)\) in \(\text{Pic}(G^D)\), since \(C\) is a projective rank 1 module over the \(O\)-algebra that represents \(G^D\). The basic question in this kind of Galois module theory is: How far does \(\psi_N(P)\) determine \(P\) modulo \(N\cdot E(F)\)? Variant: is \(P\in \mathbb{Z}_l\otimes E(F)\) determined by all \(\psi_{l^n}(P)\), where \(l\) is a fixed prime? Earlier results of \textit{A. Srivastav} and \textit{M. J. Taylor} [Invent. Math. 99, 165-184 (1990; Zbl 0705.14031)] and the authors [\textit{A. Agboola}, Invent. Math. 123, 105-122 (1996; Zbl 0864.11055) and \textit{G. Pappas}, Duke Math. J. 91, 215-224 (1998; Zbl 1029.11020)] show that for \(l\) not a divisor of \(6\), \(\psi_l\) is the trivial map on torsion points \(P\); if \(E\) is an elliptic curve satisfying further conditions, a result of \textit{A. Agboola} and \textit{M. J. Taylor} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 447, 23-61 (1994; Zbl 0799.11049)] says that \(\psi_l\) is injective modulo torsion. With this as a background, the authors study variants of the ``class invariant map'' \(\psi\). Firstly, \(\varphi\) has a similar definition but one replaces \(G^D\) by its normalisation (whose Picard group is, usually, a proper quotient of \(\text{Pic}(G^D)\)). The second modification is more essential, and an innovation: the authors construct a lift \(\widehat\psi\) of \(\psi\) with values in the Picard group of \(S\)-metrized \(G^D\)-line bundles; for \(S=S_\infty\) this is precisely the Arakelov Picard group of \(G^D\). Similarly, a lift \(\widehat\varphi\) is obtained. The main result (1.2) states: For \(l\) not a divisor of \(6\operatorname {disc}(F/\mathbb{Q})\), the limit map \(\lim\varphi_{l^n}\) is injective on \(\mathbb{Z}_l\otimes E(F)\). This immediately gives that \(\lim \psi_{l^n}\) is injective as well. The main point in finding \textit{canonical} metrics on the generic fibre \(L\) of a line bundle \(\mathcal L\) over \(G^D\) is the following: if \(L\setminus 0\) denotes the complement of the zero section, then at every \(v\in S\), \(L_v \setminus 0\) sits in a s.e.s. with \(\mathbb{G}_m(F_v)\) on the left and the finite group \(G^D(F_v)\) on the right, and it is then a general fact (Prop.~2.1) that every continuous homomorphism (metric) from \(\mathbb{G}_m(F_v)\) to \(\mathbb{R}^+\) can be uniquely prolonged to \(L_v \setminus 0\). Another important point in the proofs is a detailed analysis of Kummer extensions.