Curves with infinitely many points of fixed degree (Q1320028)

From MaRDI portal
scientific article
Language Label Description Also known as
English
Curves with infinitely many points of fixed degree
scientific article

    Statements

    Curves with infinitely many points of fixed degree (English)
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    9 March 1995
    0 references
    In an earlier paper [Compos. Math. 58, 133-134 (1986; Zbl 0596.14021)], the author had shown that, for a given prime \(l>240\), there are only finitely many elliptic curves \(E\) over quadratic fields \(L\) having a rational isogeny of degree \(l\) over \(L\). Applying a recent theorem of Faltings the author is now in a position to prove the analogous result for \(l\)-isogenies over number fields \(L\) of arbitrary degree \([L : \mathbb{Q}] \leq d\) provided the prime satisfies \(l>120d\). The theorem of Faltings, corroborating a conjecture of S. Lang, implies that if the \(d\)-th symmetric product \(C^{(d)}\) of a curve \(C\) over a number field \(K\) contains infinitely many \(K\)-rational points, then there exists a \(K\)-rational covering \(\pi : C \to \mathbb{P}^ 1_ K\) of degree \(\leq 2d\). This theorem is applied to the modular curves \(X_ 0 (l)\) over \(K = \mathbb{Q} (\sqrt 5)\). Then \(2 \cong {\mathfrak p}\) is inert in \(K\) and hence the residue field \(k_{\mathfrak p}\) has cardinality 4. Now, on the one hand, the reduced curve \(X_ 0^{({\mathfrak p})} (l)\) has \(\# X_ 0^{({\mathfrak p})} (l)(k_{\mathfrak p}) \geq [{l \over 12}] + 1\) rational points over \(k_{\mathfrak p}\). On the other hand, since the family of curves \(\{X_ 0 (l)\}_ l\) for odd primes \(l\) ``behaves asymptotically good at \({\mathfrak p}\)'', the theorem of Faltings implies the estimate \(\# X_ 0^{({\mathfrak p})} (l)(k_{\mathfrak p}) \leq 2d (\# k_{\mathfrak p} + 1) = 10d\) in case \(X_ 0(l)\) has infinitely many points of degree \(d\) over \(K\) or, equivalently, in case \(\# X_ 0 (l_ )^{(d)} (K)\) is infinite. Combining these two inequalities yields that for \(l>120d\), the curve \(X_ 0 (l)\) can have only finitely many points of degree \(d\) over \(K\). Since \(X_ 0 (l)(L)\) parametrizes elliptic curves over \(L\) with an \(L\)-rational isogeny of degree \(l\), where \([L:K]\leq d\), one concludes that, for \(l>120d\), there are only finitely many elliptic curves over \(L\) with an \(L\)-rational isogeny of degree \(l\). \{Reviewer's remark: The proof given yields the assertion actually only for primes \(l>240d\). However, an additional argument then leads to the stronger assertion with \(l>120d\}\).
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    number of rational points
    0 references
    modular curve
    0 references
    number of points of given degree
    0 references
    number of elliptic curves with rational isogeny
    0 references
    0 references