We discuss the $\ell $-adic case of Mazur’s ‘Program B’ over $\mathbb {Q}$: the problem of classifying the possible images of $\ell $-adic Galois representations attached to elliptic curves E over $\mathbb {Q}$, equivalently, classifying the rational points on the corresponding modular curves. The primes $\ell =2$ and $\ell \ge 13$ are addressed by prior work, so we focus on the remaining primes $\ell = 3, 5, 7, 11$. For each of these $\ell $, we compute the directed graph of arithmetically maximal $\ell $-power level modular curves $X_H$, compute explicit equations for all but three of them and classify the rational points on all of them except $X_{\mathrm {ns}}^{+}(N)$, for $N = 27, 25, 49, 121$ and two-level $49$ curves of genus $9$ whose Jacobians have analytic rank $9$.

Aside from the $\ell $-adic images that are known to arise for infinitely many ${\overline {\mathbb {Q}}}$-isomorphism classes of elliptic curves $E/\mathbb {Q}$, we find only 22 exceptional images that arise for any prime $\ell $ and any $E/\mathbb {Q}$ without complex multiplication; these exceptional images are realised by 20 non-CM rational j-invariants. We conjecture that this list of 22 exceptional images is complete and show that any counterexamples must arise from unexpected rational points on $X_{\mathrm {ns}}^+(\ell )$ with $\ell \ge 19$, or one of the six modular curves noted above. This yields a very efficient algorithm to compute the $\ell $-adic images of Galois for any elliptic curve over $\mathbb {Q}$.

In an appendix with John Voight, we generalise Ribet’s observation that simple abelian varieties attached to newforms on $\Gamma _1(N)$ are of $\operatorname {GL}_2$-type; this extends Kolyvagin’s theorem that analytic rank zero implies algebraic rank zero to isogeny factors of the Jacobian of $X_H$.

We formulate a strengthening of the Zariski dense orbit conjecture for birational maps of dynamical degree one. So, given a quasiprojective variety X defined over an algebraically closed field K of characteristic $0$, endowed with a birational self-map $\phi $ of dynamical degree $1$, we expect that either there exists a nonconstant rational function $f:X\dashrightarrow \mathbb {P} ^1$ such that $f\circ \phi =f$, or there exists a proper subvariety $Y\subset X$ with the property that, for any invariant proper subvariety $Z\subset X$, we have that $Z\subseteq Y$. We prove our conjecture for automorphisms $\phi $ of dynamical degree $1$ of semiabelian varieties X. Moreover, we prove a related result for regular dominant self-maps $\phi $ of semiabelian varieties X: assuming that $\phi $ does not preserve a nonconstant rational function, we have that the dynamical degree of $\phi $ is larger than $1$ if and only if the union of all $\phi $-invariant proper subvarieties of X is Zariski dense. We give applications of our results to representation-theoretic questions about twisted homogeneous coordinate rings associated with abelian varieties.

Let $p$ be a rational prime, let $F$ denote a finite, unramified extension of ${{\mathbb {Q}}}_p$, let $K$ be the maximal unramified extension of ${{\mathbb {Q}}}_p$, ${{\overline {K}}}$ some fixed algebraic closure of $K$, and ${{\mathbb {C}}}_p$ be the completion of ${{\overline {K}}}$. Let $G_F$ be the absolute Galois group of $F$. Let $A$ be an abelian variety defined over $F$, with good reduction. Classically, the Fontaine integral was seen as a Hodge–Tate comparison morphism, i.e. as a map $\varphi _{A} \otimes 1_{{{\mathbb {C}}}_p}\colon T_p(A)\otimes _{{{\mathbb {Z}}}_p}{{\mathbb {C}}}_p\to \operatorname {Lie}(A)(F)\otimes _F{{\mathbb {C}}}_p(1)$, and as such it is surjective and has a large kernel. This paper starts with the observation that if we do not tensor $T_p(A)$ with ${{\mathbb {C}}}_p$, then the Fontaine integral is often injective. In particular, it is proved that if $T_p(A)^{G_K} = 0$, then $\varphi _A$ is injective. As an application, we extend the Fontaine integral to a perfectoid like universal cover of $A$ and show that if $T_p(A)^{G_K} = 0$, then $A(\overline {K})$ has a type of $p$-adic uniformization, which resembles the classical complex uniformization.

We use the method of Bruinier–Raum to show that symmetric formal Fourier–Jacobi series, in the cases of norm-Euclidean imaginary quadratic fields, are Hermitian modular forms. Consequently, combining a theorem of Yifeng Liu, we deduce Kudla’s conjecture on the modularity of generating series of special cycles of arbitrary codimension for unitary Shimura varieties defined in these cases.

Let K be a number field. For which primes p does there exist an elliptic curve $E / K$ admitting a K-rational p-isogeny? Although we have an answer to this question over the rationals, extending this to other number fields is a fundamental open problem in number theory. In this paper, we study this question in the case that K is a quadratic field, subject to the assumption that E is semistable at the primes of K above p. We prove results both for families of quadratic fields and for specific quadratic fields.

Iwasawa theory of elliptic curves over noncommutative $GL(2)$ extension has been a fruitful area of research. Over such a noncommutative p-adic Lie extension, there exists a structure theorem providing the structure of the dual Selmer groups for elliptic curves in terms of reflexive ideals in the Iwasawa algebra. The central object of this article is to study Iwasawa theory over the $PGL(2)$ extension and connect it with Iwasawa theory over the $GL(2)$ extension, deriving consequences to the structure theorem when the reflexive ideal is the augmentation ideal of the center. We also show how the dual Selmer group over the $GL(2)$ extension being torsion is related with that of the $PGL(2)$ extension.

We study the p-rank stratification of the moduli space of cyclic degree $\ell $ covers of the projective line in characteristic p for distinct primes p and $\ell $. The main result is about the intersection of the p-rank $0$ stratum with the boundary of the moduli space of curves. When $\ell =3$ and $p \equiv 2 \bmod 3$ is an odd prime, we prove that there exists a smooth trielliptic curve in characteristic p, for every genus g, signature type $(r,s)$, and p-rank f satisfying the clear necessary conditions.

Each metric graph has canonically associated to it a polarized real torus called its tropical Jacobian. A fundamental real-valued invariant associated to each polarized real torus is its tropical moment. We give an explicit and efficiently computable formula for the tropical moment of a tropical Jacobian in terms of potential theory on the underlying metric graph. We show that there exists a universal linear relation between the tropical moment, a certain capacity called the tau invariant, and the total length of a metric graph. To put our formula in a broader context, we relate our work to the computation of heights attached to principally polarized abelian varieties.

Investigating a conjecture of Zannier, we study irreducible subvarieties of abelian schemes that dominate the base and contain a Zariski dense set of torsion points that lie on pairwise isogenous fibers. If everything is defined over the algebraic numbers and the abelian scheme has maximal variation, we prove that the geometric generic fiber of such a subvariety is a union of torsion cosets. We go on to prove fully or partially explicit versions of this result in fibered powers of the Legendre family of elliptic curves. Finally, we apply a recent result of Galateau and Martínez to obtain uniform bounds on the number of maximal torsion cosets in the Manin–Mumford problem across a given isogeny class. For the proofs, we adapt the strategy, due to Lang, Serre, Tate, and Hindry, of using Galois automorphisms that act on the torsion as homotheties to the family setting.

We develop tools for constructing rigid analytic trivializations for Drinfeld modules as infinite products of Frobenius twists of matrices, from which we recover the rigid analytic trivialization given by Pellarin in terms of Anderson generating functions. One advantage is that these infinite products can be obtained from only a finite amount of initial calculation, and consequently we obtain new formulas for periods and quasi-periods, similar to the product expansion of the Carlitz period. We further link to results of Gekeler and Maurischat on the $\infty $-adic field generated by the period lattice.

Hilbert schemes are an object arising from geometry and are closely related to physics and modular forms. Recently, there have been investigations from number theorists about the Betti numbers and Hodge numbers of the Hilbert schemes of points of an algebraic surface. In this paper, we prove that Göttsche's generating function of the Hodge numbers of Hilbert schemes of $n$ points of an algebraic surface is algebraic at a CM point $\tau$ and rational numbers $z_1$ and $z_2$. Our result gives a refinement of the algebraicity on Betti numbers.

We consider Shimura varieties for orthogonal or spin groups acting on hermitian symmetric domains of type IV. We give regular $p$-adic integral models for these varieties over odd primes $p$ at which the level subgroup is the connected stabilizer of a vertex lattice in the orthogonal space. Our construction is obtained by combining results of Kisin and the first author with an explicit presentation and resolution of a corresponding local model.

Let $A$ be a non-isotrivial ordinary abelian surface over a global function field of characteristic $p>0$ with good reduction everywhere. Suppose that $A$ does not have real multiplication by any real quadratic field with discriminant a multiple of $p$. We prove that there are infinitely many places modulo which $A$ is isogenous to the product of two elliptic curves.

Let $X/\mathbb {F}_{q}$ be a smooth, geometrically connected, quasi-projective scheme. Let $\mathcal {E}$ be a semi-simple overconvergent $F$-isocrystal on $X$. Suppose that irreducible summands $\mathcal {E}_i$ of $\mathcal {E}$ have rank 2, determinant $\bar {\mathbb {Q}}_p(-1)$, and infinite monodromy at $\infty$. Suppose further that for each closed point $x$ of $X$, the characteristic polynomial of $\mathcal {E}$ at $x$ is in $\mathbb {Q}[t]\subset \mathbb {Q}_p[t]$. Then there exists a dense open subset $U\subset X$ such that $\mathcal {E}|_U$ comes from a family of abelian varieties on $U$. As an application, let $L_1$ be an irreducible lisse $\bar {\mathbb {Q}}_l$ sheaf on $X$ that has rank 2, determinant $\bar {\mathbb {Q}}_l(-1)$, and infinite monodromy at $\infty$. Then all crystalline companions to $L_1$ exist (as predicted by Deligne's crystalline companions conjecture) if and only if there exist a dense open subset $U\subset X$ and an abelian scheme $\pi _U\colon A_U\rightarrow U$ such that $L_1|_U$ is a summand of $R^{1}(\pi _U)_*\bar {\mathbb {Q}}_l$.

Let $g \geq 1$ be an integer and let $A/\mathbb Q$ be an abelian variety that is isogenous over $\mathbb Q$ to a product of g elliptic curves defined over $\mathbb Q$, pairwise non-isogenous over $\overline {\mathbb Q}$ and each without complex multiplication. For an integer t and a positive real number x, denote by $\pi _A(x, t)$ the number of primes $p \leq x$, of good reduction for A, for which the Frobenius trace $a_{1, p}(A)$ associated to the reduction of A modulo p equals t. Assuming the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis for Dedekind zeta functions, we prove that $\pi _A(x, 0) \ll _A x^{1 - \frac {1}{3 g+1 }}/(\operatorname {log} x)^{1 - \frac {2}{3 g+1}}$ and $\pi _A(x, t) \ll _A x^{1 - \frac {1}{3 g + 2}}/(\operatorname {log} x)^{1 - \frac {2}{3 g + 2}}$ if $t \neq 0$. These bounds largely improve upon recent ones obtained for $g = 2$ by Chen, Jones, and Serban, and may be viewed as generalizations to arbitrary g of the bounds obtained for $g=1$ by Murty, Murty, and Saradha, combined with a refinement in the power of $\operatorname {log} x$ by Zywina. Under the assumptions stated above, we also prove the existence of a density one set of primes p satisfying $|a_{1, p}(A)|>p^{\frac {1}{3 g + 1} - \varepsilon }$ for any fixed $\varepsilon>0$.

We prove that $164\, 634\, 913$ is the smallest positive integer that is a sum of two rational sixth powers, but not a sum of two integer sixth powers. If $C_{k}$ is the curve $x^{6} + y^{6} = k$, we use the existence of morphisms from $C_{k}$ to elliptic curves, together with the Mordell–Weil sieve, to rule out the existence of rational points on $C_{k}$ for various k.

Let${\mathbb M}$ be an affine variety equipped with a foliation, both defined over a number field ${\mathbb K}$. For an algebraic $V\subset {\mathbb M}$ over ${\mathbb K}$, write $\delta _{V}$ for the maximum of the degree and log-height of V. Write $\Sigma _{V}$ for the points where the leaves intersect V improperly. Fix a compact subset ${\mathcal B}$ of a leaf ${\mathcal L}$. We prove effective bounds on the geometry of the intersection ${\mathcal B}\cap V$. In particular, when $\operatorname {codim} V=\dim {\mathcal L}$ we prove that $\#({\mathcal B}\cap V)$ is bounded by a polynomial in $\delta _{V}$ and $\log \operatorname {dist}^{-1}({\mathcal B},\Sigma _{V})$. Using these bounds we prove a result on the interpolation of algebraic points in images of ${\mathcal B}\cap V$ by an algebraic map $\Phi $. For instance, under suitable conditions we show that $\Phi ({\mathcal B}\cap V)$ contains at most $\operatorname {poly}(g,h)$ algebraic points of log-height h and degree g.

We deduce several results in Diophantine geometry. Following Masser and Zannier, we prove that given a pair of sections $P,Q$ of a nonisotrivial family of squares of elliptic curves that do not satisfy a constant relation, whenever $P,Q$ are simultaneously torsion their order of torsion is bounded effectively by a polynomial in $\delta _{P},\delta _{Q}$; in particular, the set of such simultaneous torsion points is effectively computable in polynomial time. Following Pila, we prove that given $V\subset {\mathbb C}^{n}$, there is an (ineffective) upper bound, polynomial in $\delta _{V}$, for the degrees and discriminants of maximal special subvarieties; in particular, it follows that the André–Oort conjecture for powers of the modular curve is decidable in polynomial time (by an algorithm depending on a universal, ineffective Siegel constant). Following Schmidt, we show that our counting result implies a Galois-orbit lower bound for torsion points on elliptic curves of the type previously obtained using transcendence methods by David.

In this article, we improve our main results from [LL21] in two directions: First, we allow ramified places in the CM extension $E/F$ at which we consider representations that are spherical with respect to a certain special maximal compact subgroup, by formulating and proving an analogue of the Kudla–Rapoport conjecture for exotic smooth Rapoport–Zink spaces. Second, we lift the restriction on the components at split places of the automorphic representation, by proving a more general vanishing result on certain cohomology of integral models of unitary Shimura varieties with Drinfeld level structures.

In this paper, we prove the assertion that the number of monic cubic polynomials $F(x) = x^3 + a_2 x^2 + a_1 x + a_0$ with integer coefficients and irreducible, Galois over ${\mathbb {Q}}$ satisfying $\max \{|a_2|, |a_1|, |a_0|\} \leq X$ is bounded from above by $O(X (\log X)^2)$. We also count the number of abelian monic binary cubic forms with integer coefficients up to a natural equivalence relation ordered by the so-called Bhargava–Shankar height. Finally, we prove an assertion characterizing the splitting field of 2-torsion points of semi-stable abelian elliptic curves.

We show that the conjecture of [27] for the special value at $s=1$ of the zeta function of an arithmetic surface is equivalent to the Birch–Swinnerton–Dyer conjecture for the Jacobian of the generic fibre.