Root numbers of a family of elliptic curves and two applications (Q6559430)

Consider the elliptic curve \(\mathcal{E}/\mathbb{Q}(T)\) given by the equation \[y^2=x(x+1)(x+T^2).\] It is shown that the Mordell-Weil group \(\mathcal{E}(\mathbb{Q}(T))\) is isomorphic to \(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z} \times \mathbb{Z}/4\mathbb{Z}\). Conditionally on the parity conjecture for elliptic curves over \(\mathbb{Q}\), an explicit set \(\mathcal{T} \subseteq \mathbb{Q}\) of density \(\frac{1}{2}\) such that for every \(t \in \mathcal{T}\) the specialization of \(\mathcal{E}/\mathbb{Q}(T)\) at \(T=t\) has infinitely many rational points is found. Assuming, in addition another standard conjecture on specialization of elliptic surfaces, it is shown that there exists a set \(S \subseteq \mathbb{Q}\) of density \(0\) such that if the specialization of \(\mathcal{E}/\mathbb{Q}(T)\) at \(T=t\) has infinitely many rational points, then \(t \in S \cup T\).\N\NTwo applications of the main results are given. The first one is the determination (up to a set of density zero) of the set of isomorphism classes of elliptic curves defined over \(\mathbb{Q}\) whose Mordell-Weil group contains \(\mathbb{Z} \times \mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z} \times \mathbb{Z}/4\mathbb{Z}\). This essentially follows from the fact that the given equation for \(\mathcal{E}/\mathbb{Q}(T)\) defines a model for the universal family of elliptic curves with torsion subgroup \(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z} \times \mathbb{Z}/4\mathbb{Z}\). The second application is on the rational right triangle pair problem, which is concerned with determining for each \(t \in \mathbb{Q}\) the number of rational right triangles with a common leg such that the ratio of the remaining legs equals \(t\).\N\NFinally, without relying on any conjectures, it is shown that each specialization of \(\mathcal{E}/\mathbb{Q}(T)\) at \(T=r^2+3\), where \(r \in \mathbb{Q}\) with \(r \notin \{0, \pm 1\}\), has infinitely many rational points. This is achieved by exhibiting a point of infinite order on each specialization.