The class number of \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-pq})\) for a congruent number \(pq\) (Q6981633)

Let \(p, q\) be primes such that \((p,q)\equiv (5,7) \mod 8\). Let \(n=pq\) be a congruent number. The authors prove that the class number \(h(-n)\) of the imaginary quadratic field \(\mathbb Q(\sqrt{-n})\) is divisible by \(8\). This result has been proved by \N\textit{H. Qin} [Math. Ann. 383, No. 3--4, 1647--1686 (2022; Zbl 1503.11141)] using the Minkowski-Siegel formula. The authors give a new proof by the method of complete \(2\)-descent for the congruent elliptic curve \(E_n:y^2=x(x^2-n^2)\). Let \(b\) be the \(2\)-descent homomorphism of \(E_n(\mathbb Q)/2E_n(\mathbb Q)\hookrightarrow \mathbb Q^\times/(\mathbb Q^\times)^2\times\mathbb Q^\times/(\mathbb Q^\times)^2\). They show that \(\mathrm{Im}(b)=\{(1,p),(q,1),(q,p),(1,1)\}\) modulo \(b(E_n(\mathbb Q)_{\mathrm{tor}})\), and that \(2\)- Selmer rank of \(E_n\) is \(2\). For \((b_1,b_2)\in \mathrm{Im}(b)\), there exist a positive integer \(d\) and pairwise coprime integers \(a_i (i=1,2,3)\) such that \(b_1a_1^2-b_2a_2^2=nd^2,~b_1a_1^2-b_1b_2a_3^2=-nd^2\). With those relations for all elements of \(\mathrm{Im}(b)\), they prove the quartic residue symbol \(\left(\frac {-q}p\right)_4=1\), and that \(h(-n)\) is divisible by \(8\) by \textit{E. Brown}'s result [Houston J. Math. 7, 497--505 (1981;Zbl 0492.12001)]. They conjecture that \(2\)-primary part of the Shafarevich-Tate group of \(E_n/\mathbb Q\) is trivial and provide a list of computations in SAGA for \(n<50,000\) supporting the conjecture.