Two-torsion of the Jacobian of hyperelliptic curves over finite fields (Q5953120)

The function field of the hyperelliptic curve \(X_D: \;y^2=D(x)\) is \(K=\mathbb{F}_q (x, \sqrt{D(x)})\) over the finite field \(\mathbb{F}_q \) with odd \(q\) elements. The author determines \(\widehat {r}_2(D)\), the 2-rank of the Jacobian \(J_D(\mathbb{F}_q)\), i.e. the divisor class group with divisors of degree zero. The rank \(\widehat {r}_2(D)\) has a close relation to (and almost equals) the 2-rank \(r_2(D)\) of the ideal class group Pic(\(\mathcal{O}_D\)) of the maximal order \(\mathcal{O}_D\) of \(K\), which has been obtained by E. Artin and X. Zhang for imaginary and real \(K\) respectively in Artin's famous 1924 thesis and the reviewer's paper in [\textit{X. Zhang}, J. China Univ. Sci. Technol. 17, 425-431 (1987; Zbl 0643.12002)]. Here the author uses no arithmetic method, but starts with \(J_D[2](\mathbb{F}_q)=J_D[2]^G\) (the \(G\)-invariant elements), and reduces the actions of the Galois group \(G\) on \(J_D[2]\) to permutation-matrix multiplications. A point of order \(>2\) in \(J_D\) is proved to exist too.