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20 votes
4 answers
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Does $(x^2 - 1)(y^2 - 1) = c z^4$ have a rational point, with z non-zero, for any given rational c?

I need this result for something else. It seems fairly hard, but I may be missing something obvious. Just one non-trivial solution for any given $c$ would be fine (for my application).
John R Ramsden's user avatar
20 votes
3 answers
6k views

Closed vs Rational Points on Schemes

Background: When Ueno builds the fully faithful functor from Var/k to Sch/k he mentions that the variety $V$ can be identified with the rational points of $t(V)$ over $k$. I know how to prove this on ...
Matt's user avatar
  • 970
20 votes
5 answers
2k views

Rational solutions of the Fermat equation $X^n+Y^n+Z^n=1$

As a generalisation to the equation of Fermat, one can ask for rational solutions of $X^n+Y^n+Z^n=1$ (or almost equivalently integer solutions of $X^n+Y^n+Z^n=T^n$). Contrary to the case of Fermat, ...
Jérémy Blanc's user avatar
20 votes
3 answers
2k views

what is the maximum number of rational points of a curve of genus 2 over the rationals

Conjecturally, there exists an integer $n$ such that the number of rational points of a genus $2$ curve over $\mathbf{Q}$ is at most $n$. (This follows from the Bombieri-Lang conjecture.) We are ...
Dirk's user avatar
  • 209
16 votes
0 answers
274 views

Why should an abelian variety with few places of bad reduction and a lot of endomorphisms not have many points?

In the paper "Points of Order 13 on Elliptic Curves" by Mazur-Tate, they say in the introduction: It seemed ... that if such an abelian variety $J$, which has bad reduction at only one ...
Asvin's user avatar
  • 7,746
14 votes
1 answer
1k views

Elliptic curves and connected components

Are there elliptic curves of positive rank with two real connected components in which all the rational points lie only on one component? Concrete examples are really appreciated.
user21956's user avatar
  • 345
13 votes
2 answers
572 views

Existence of points on varieties which avoid a given number field.

Let C be a geometrically integral curve over a number field K and let K' be a number field containing K. Does there exist a number field L containing K such that $L \cap K' = K$, and $C(L) \neq \...
David Zureick-Brown's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

Rational points on surfaces of general type

The weak Lang conjecture asserts that rational points on a variety of general type defined over $\mathbb{Q}$ are not Zariski dense (same replacing $\mathbb{Q}$ with a number field). This one is proved ...
Jérémy Blanc's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
424 views

Existence of local sections

I would like to know when the property of "having a section" for a morphism of varieties in characteristic $0$ can be detected by spreading out to characteristic $p$. Take a number field $K$, and let ...
user49221's user avatar
  • 121
12 votes
1 answer
617 views

What is our current knowledge on the structure of J_0(N)(Q) and J_1(N)(Q)

The question in the title naturally breaks up in two parts, namely the torsion part and the rank part. I already read about some results on both the torsion and the rank part. And I want to know ...
Maarten Derickx's user avatar
12 votes
0 answers
676 views

Kihara-like Z/6Z elliptic curve families

Shoichi Kihara constructed a family of elliptic curves with Mordell–Weil group $\mathbb{Z}/6\mathbb{Z}\times\mathbb{Z}^3$ (generic rank at least 3) in 2006. Kihara's family produces a number of rank 8 ...
Maksym Voznyy's user avatar
11 votes
5 answers
4k views

How much do I need to learn algebraic geometry to understand arithmetics over number fields

I am at the stage of learning. Mostly, I am attracted by algebraic number theory. Roughly speaking, I am interested in the rational points of algebraic varieties. I am little bit afraid to start to ...
Ofra's user avatar
  • 1,613
11 votes
2 answers
679 views

Z/8Z elliptic curve with a missing generator

We are searching for the rank $6$ elliptic curves with the torsion subgroup $\mathbb{Z}/8\mathbb{Z}$ using the families similar to Allan MacLeod's as described in A. J. MacLeod, A Simple Method for ...
Maksym Voznyy's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
791 views

Geometrically unirational varieties that are not unirational

By a variety over a field $k$, I mean a scheme that is separated and of finite type over $k$. I indicate changes of the base ring by subscripts. Does there exist a smooth and projective variety $V$ ...
R.P.'s user avatar
  • 4,745
10 votes
4 answers
1k views

Possible groups of K-rational points for elliptic curves over arbitrary fields

It is known that the group $C(\Bbb R)$ has at most two connected components, and the connected component of the identity is isomorphic to $U(1)$ as a topological group (trivially) and $C(\Bbb Q)$ is ...
FusRoDah's user avatar
  • 3,738
10 votes
1 answer
562 views

Are there infinitely many real multiplication fields of abelian surfaces over $\mathbb Q$?

Do there exist infinitely many real quadratic fields $F$ such that there is an abelian surface $A$ over $\mathbb Q$ whose ring of endomorphisms, tensored with $\mathbb Q$, is $F$? Do there exist ...
Will Sawin's user avatar
  • 149k
9 votes
2 answers
792 views

Rational points techniques on curves not using their Jacobian

Let $C/K$ be a curve of genus > 2 over a number field $K$ and suppose there exists a $p \in C(K)$. Then a recurring theme in studying $C(K)$ is using the map $C \to J(C)$ normalized by sending $p$ to ...
Maarten Derickx's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
549 views

Varieties with infinitely many etale covers and rational points

Let $X$ be a (smooth projective geometrically connected) variety over a field $k$. Consider the set Et$(X,k)$ of finite etale covers $Y\to X$ over $k$, with $Y$ geometrically connected over $k$. ...
Jan Hendrik's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
399 views

Existence of hyperelliptic curve with specific number of points in a family

Hi, the following question was posed to me, it apparently has applications for linear codes. Let n>1, and $K = \rm{GF}(2^n)$. Let $k$ be coprime to $2^n-1$. Does there always exist $a \neq 0$ in $K$ ...
Dan Petersen's user avatar
  • 40.3k
8 votes
1 answer
904 views

Hard: One more generator needed for a Z/6 elliptic curve

We are searching for rank 8 elliptic curves with the torsion subgroup $\mathbb{Z}/6$ using newly discovered families similar to Kihara's as described in A. Dujella, J.C. Peral, P. Tadić, Elliptic ...
Maksym Voznyy's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
986 views

Why study unirational and rational varieties?

I am new to the study of unirational and rational varieties, but I want to know the motivation for why mathematicians started to study these conditions. The reasons that I could list to study ...
schemer's user avatar
  • 782
8 votes
0 answers
134 views

Distribution of rational points in the real locus of a planar algebraic curve

Let $C$ be a smooth projective geometrically connected curve over $\mathbb{Q}$. Assume that $g(C)=3$ and that $C$ is not hyperelliptic. Then the canonical sheaf defines a closed immersion $C\to\mathbb{...
user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
334 views

Rational points on smooth compactifications

Let $X$ be as smooth variety over a field $k$ of characteristic $0$. Consider the following statements: The variety $X$ has no $k((t))$-rational points. No smooth compactification of $X$ has a $k$-...
Wanderer's user avatar
  • 5,163
7 votes
1 answer
568 views

Field extensions over which algebraic varieties cannot acquire points

The following fact (slightly reworded here) is proven in this answer: If $K$ is a purely transcendental extension of an infinite¹ field $k$, then whenever a separated scheme $X$ of finite type over $...
Gro-Tsen's user avatar
  • 32.5k
7 votes
1 answer
557 views

Does Chabauty-Coleman method give an algorithm for finding rational points?

Let $X$ be a curve of genus $g\geq 2$ over a number field $K$. If $\mathrm{rk} \,\mathrm{Jac}\, X$ is less than $g$ there is a $p$-adic method of bounding $\# X(K)$ due to Chabauty and Coleman (see ...
SashaP's user avatar
  • 7,377
7 votes
1 answer
218 views

Subfields of Hilbertian fields

This question is about the Remark on the top of page 22 of Serre's Topics in Galois Theory, available here : http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sohum/ma561/notes/workspace/books/serre_galois_theory.pdf My ...
Harry's user avatar
  • 353
7 votes
1 answer
295 views

Reference request. Finiteness of the Selmer group

Let $K$ be a global field (ie either a number field or the function field of a curve over a finite field). Let $A,B$ be abelian varieties over $K$ and let $\phi:A\to B$ be an isogeny. Associated with $...
Damian Rössler's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
508 views

What is the exact statement about uniform boundedness of rational points on curves of genus greater than one? Singular points can be unbounded

According to several sources, it is conjectured (or at least believed) that the rational points of curves over the rationals of genus $g > 1$ are uniformly bounded by $g$. E.g. here p. 1. Assuming ...
joro's user avatar
  • 25.4k
7 votes
2 answers
605 views

ℤ/18ℤ elliptic curves over cubic fields

I am working on $\mathbb{Z}/18\mathbb{Z}$ elliptic curves over cubic fields. The curves are created using the formulas on p. 584 of D. Jeon, C. H. Kim, Y. Lee, Families of elliptic curves over cubic ...
Maksym Voznyy's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
350 views

Geometrically rational variety over a finite field

Let $k=\mathbb{F}_q$ be a finite field, and let $X$ be a smooth projective variety over $k$. Suppose that $X_{\overline{k}}$ is birational to $\mathbb{P}^n_{\overline{k}}$, do we know (1)If $X$ is ...
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
185 views

If $X$ is a genus $g\geq 2$ curve over a number field $K$, then is there a bound on $X_L(L)$ for $L/K$ that depends only on $X$ and $[L:K]$?

If $X$ is a genus $g\geq 2$ curve over a number field $K$, then $X(K)$ is finite by Falting's Theorem. My question is how does $X_L(L)$ behave for finite field extensions $L/K$? In particular, is ...
Andrew NC's user avatar
  • 2,081
6 votes
1 answer
788 views

Singular curves of genus 1

Let $C$ be an irreducible curve of arithmetic genus $1$ over a field $k$ and with a double $k$-point $p\in C$. Is $C$ rational over $k$? If $C$ is a plane cubic the answer is positive since we can ...
Puzzled's user avatar
  • 8,998
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

k rational points and base change

This could be a tricky question but could help me to better understand these very interesting things. Let $X$ be an algebraic variety over a field $k$ (in the sense of a k-scheme like in Qing Liu), $...
Srks's user avatar
  • 379
6 votes
1 answer
489 views

Simple field extension and rational points

Let $F$ be an infinite field and $f$ a homogeneous form on $F$ such that $f$ has no non-trivial zero in $F$. Let $F'$ be a finite extension of $F$ such that $f$ has a non-trivial zero in $F'$. Is it ...
Jana's user avatar
  • 2,032
6 votes
1 answer
366 views

Breaking a morphism with generic fiber $\mathbb{F}_n$

Assume we are working over $\mathbb{C}$, and we have a projective morphism with connected fibers $f: X \rightarrow Z$ whose geometric generic fiber $X_\overline{\eta}$ is isomorphic to a Hirzebruch ...
Stefano's user avatar
  • 625
6 votes
0 answers
219 views

Ranks of elliptic curves over cubic fields

We are writing a paper on the ranks of elliptic curves over cubic fields. The curves of different torsion subgroups are created by the formulas in Jeon et al. and by our new parametrizations. D. Jeon,...
Maksym Voznyy's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
233 views

Rational points on varieties whose anticanonical bundle is nef but not ample

Is the following plausible? "If $X$ is a variety over $\mathbf{Q}$ whose anticanonical bundle $L$ is nef but not ample, there is a number field $K$ such that $X(K)$ contains an infinite set of ...
JSE's user avatar
  • 19.2k
6 votes
0 answers
438 views

Brauer-Manin obstruction to surfaces of Kodaira dimension 1

Roughly speaking, the Kodaira dimension is an invariant of a variety that corresponds to curvature. One can show that curves of genus $\geq 2$ have Kodaira dimension 1 using Riemann-Roch. In Corollary ...
Jackson Morrow's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
572 views

Birational geometry over finite fields

I apologize in advance since probably my questions are very naive. I would like to understand some central notions in birational geometry, that are clear to me over the complex numbers, for varieties ...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
576 views

Lines on quadric surfaces

Consider a smooth quadric surface $Q\subset\mathbb{P}^3$ over a field $k$. Are there natural hypotheses one can put on $k$ in order to ensure the existence of a line defined over $k$ on $Q$?
Puzzled's user avatar
  • 8,998
5 votes
1 answer
316 views

Existence of a non-trivial zero (in the rational cyclotomic field) of a form

It is well known that if a field K is quasi-algebraically closed (i.e. all forms with coefficients in K of degree d in n > d variables have a non-trivial zero in K) then it has no central divison ...
Alessandro Macedo's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
251 views

Integral points on homogeneous spaces over a DVR

Let $R$ be a DVR (possibly mixed characteristic) with fraction field $K$. Let $V \to \operatorname{Spec} R$ be a smooth affine scheme with a transitive action of $GL_{n,R}$ so that each geometric ...
Dori Bejleri's user avatar
  • 3,290
5 votes
1 answer
217 views

Fields of definition of conjugates

Let $k$ be a field, not necessarily algebraically closed, $G$ an affine group scheme over $k$, $H$ a subgroup of $G$, and $N$ a normal subgroup of $H$, none of them assumed to be smooth. Suppose that ...
LSpice's user avatar
  • 12.9k
5 votes
1 answer
824 views

Understanding Siegel's Theorem on integral points

Siegel's theorem states the following: Let $C$ be a smooth projective curve over a number field $K$. Let $\tilde C\subset C$ be an open affine subvariety, and $i:\tilde C\hookrightarrow \mathbb{A}^...
Andrew NC's user avatar
  • 2,081
5 votes
0 answers
299 views

A relative version of Hensel's lemma?

Let $k$ be a $p$-adic field with integer ring $\mathcal{O}_k \subseteq k$, maximal ideal $m_k \subseteq \mathcal{O}_k$ and residue field $\mathbb{F}_q = \mathcal{O}_k/m_k$. Let $X$ be a smooth, ...
Yonatan Harpaz's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
917 views

Does this conic have a rational point?

Consider the conic $$C = \{X^2+uY^2+vZ^2=0\}\subset\mathbb{P}^2_{\mathbb{Q}(u,v)}$$ over the function field $\mathbb{Q}(u,v)$. Does $C$ have a $\mathbb{Q}(u,v)$-rational point?
Puzzled's user avatar
  • 8,998
4 votes
2 answers
343 views

Algorithm for computing rational points if the rank of Jacobian is 0

Is there a general algorithm that can compute in finite time all rational points on any curve of genus $g\geq 2$ whose Jacobian has rank $0$? If not, for what special cases such algorithm is known? ...
Bogdan Grechuk's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
423 views

A generator needed for a Z/6 elliptic curve

We are searching for rank $8$ elliptic curves with the torsion subgroup $\mathbb{Z}/6$ using newly discovered families similar to Kihara's as described in A. Dujella, J.C. Peral, P. Tadić, ...
Maksym Voznyy's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
874 views

Closed points of field extension of k-scheme under projection

I really couldn't figure out the answer to the following question: Let $X$ be a scheme of finite type over a field $k$ and let $K$ be an extension field of $k$. Let $X_K := K \times_k X$ be the base ...
Georg S.'s user avatar
  • 313
4 votes
2 answers
319 views

Is the set of points on an abelian surface which project to rational points on the Kummer surface a subgroup?

Let $C$ be a hyperelliptic curve of genus 2 defined over $\mathbb{Q}$, let $J$ be its Jacobian, and let $X$ be the Kummer surface associated to $J$ (i. e. $X$ is the singular Kummer surface which ...
Vik78's user avatar
  • 658