Mordell-Weil groups and the rank of elliptic curves over large fields

In this paper, we present several methods for construction of elliptic curves with large torsion group and positive rank over number fields of small degree. We also discuss potential applications of such curves in the elliptic curve factorization method (ECM).

For a non-CM elliptic curve $E$ defined over a number field $K$, the Galois action on its torsion points gives rise to a Galois representation $\rho_E: Gal(\overline{K}/K)\to GL_2(\widehat{\mathbb{Z}})$ that is unique up to isomorphism. A renowned theorem of Serre says that the image of $\rho_E$ is an open, and hence finite index, subgroup of $GL_2(\widehat{\mathbb{Z}})$. In an earlier work of the author, an algorithm was given, and implemented, that computed the image of $\r...

Let $E$ be an elliptic curve over $\mathbb{Q}$ which has multiplicative reduction at a fixed prime $p$. For each positive integer $n$ we put $K_n:=\mathbb{Q}(E[p^n])$. The aim of this paper is to extend the author's previous our results concerning with the order of the $p$-Sylow group of the ideal class group of $K_n$ to more general setting. We also modify the previous lower bound of the order and describe the new lower bound in terms of the Mordell-Weil rank of $E(\mathbb{Q...

We generalize the lemmas of Thomas Kretschmer to arbitrary number fields, and apply them with a 2-descent argument to obtain bounds for families of elliptic curves over certain imaginary quadratic number fields with class number 1. One such family occurs in the congruent number problem. We consider the congruent number problem over these quadratic number fields, and subject to the finiteness of Sha, we show that there are infinitely many numbers that are not congruent over Q ...

We study the structure of the Mordell--Weil groups of semiabelian varieties over large algebraic extensions of a finitely generated field of characteristic zero. We consider two types of algebraic extensions in this paper; one is of extensions obtained by adjoining the coordinates of certain points of various semiabelian varieties; the other is of extensions obtained as the fixed subfield in an algebraically closed field by a finite number of automorphisms. Some of such field...

In this article we extend work of Shanks and Washington on cyclic extensions, and elliptic curves associated to the simplest cubic fields. In particular, we give families of examples of hyperelliptic curves $C: y^2=f(x)$ defined over $\mathbb{Q}$, with $f(x)$ of degree $p$, where $p$ is a Sophie Germain prime, such that the rank of the Mordell--Weil group of the jacobian $J/\mathbb{Q}$ of $C$ is bounded by the genus of $C$ and the $2$-rank of the class group of the (cyclic) f...

Let $E$ be an elliptic defined over a number field $K$. Then its Mordell-Weil group $E(K)$ is finitely generated: $E(K)\cong E(K)_{tor}\times\mathbb{Z}^r$. In this paper, we discuss the cyclic torsion subgroup of elliptic curves over cubic number fields. For $N=169,143,91,65,77$ or $55$, we show that $\mathbb{Z}/N\mathbb{Z}$ is not a subgroup of $E(K)_{tor}$ for any elliptic curve $E$ over a cubic number field $K$.

We consider elliptic surfaces whose coefficients are degree $2$ polynomials in a variable $T$. It was recently shown that for infinitely many rational values of $T$ the resulting elliptic curves have rank at least $1$. In this article, we prove that the Mordell-Weil rank of each such elliptic surface is at most $6$ over $\mathbb Q$. In fact, we show that the Mordell-Weil rank of these elliptic surfaces is controlled by the number of zeros of a certain polynomial over $\mathbb...

Let $k$ denote an algebraically closed field. We revisit a construction of the author of families of elliptic curves over the rational function field $k(t)$. Combining a combinatorial analysis with a rank formula of Ulmer we prove that, for all but finitely many families of these curves, the Mordell-Weil groups over $k(t^{1/d})$ have rank zero, as $d$ ranges over positive integers prime to the characteristic of $k$.

We present experimental evidence to support the widely held belief that one half of all elliptic curves have infinitely many rational points. The method used to gather this evidence is a refinement of an algorithm due to the author which is based upon rigid and crystalline cohomology.