arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Bjorn Poonen.
Extending work of Bell and of Bell, Ghioca, and Tucker, we prove that for a p-adic analytic self-map f on a closed unit polydisk, if every coefficient of f(x)-x has valuation greater than that of p^{1/(p-1)}, then the iterates of f can be p-adically interpolated; i.e., there exists a function g(x,n) analytic in both x and n such that g(x,n) = f^n(x) whenever n is a nonnegative integer.
Let K be a field that is complete with respect to a nonarchimedean absolute value such that K has a countable dense subset. We prove that the Berkovich analytification V^an of any d-dimensional quasi-projective scheme V over K embeds in R^{2d+1}. If, moreover, the value group of K is dense in R_{>0} and V is a curve, then we describe the homeomorphism type of V^an by using the theory of local dendrites.
We ask questions generalizing uniform versions of conjectures of Mordell and Lang and combining them with the Morton--Silverman conjecture on preperiodic points. We prove a few results relating different versions of such questions.
Under suitable hypotheses, we construct a probability measure on the set of closed maximal isotropic subspaces of a locally compact quadratic space over F_p. A random subspace chosen with respect to this measure is discrete with probability 1, and the dimension of its intersection with a fixed compact open maximal isotropic subspace is a certain nonnegative-integer-valued random variable. We then prove that the p-Selmer group of an elliptic curve is naturally the intersection of a discrete maximal isotropic subspace with a compact open maximal isotropic subspace in a locally compact quadratic space over F_p. By modeling the first subspace as being random, we can explain the known phenomena regarding distribution of Selmer ranks, such as the theorems of Heath-Brown, Swinnerton-Dyer, and Kane for 2-Selmer groups in certain families of quadratic twists, and the average size of 2- and 3-Selmer groups as computed by Bhargava and Shankar. Our model is compatible with Delaunay's heuristics for p-torsion in Shafarevich-Tate groups, and predicts that the average rank of elliptic curves over a fixed number field is at most 1/2. Many of our results generalize to abelian varieties over global fields.
We give a general formula relating self cup products in cohomology to connecting maps in nonabelian cohomology, and apply it to obtain a formula for the self cup product associated to the Weil pairing.
The Nelder-Mead algorithm, a longstanding direct search method for unconstrained optimization published in 1965, is designed to minimize a scalar-valued function f of n real variables using only function values, without any derivative information. Each Nelder-Mead iteration is associated with a nondegenerate simplex defined by n+1 vertices and their function values; a typical iteration produces a new simplex by replacing the worst vertex by a new point. Despite the method's widespread use, theoretical results have been limited: for strictly convex objective functions of one variable with bounded level sets, the algorithm always converges to the minimizer; for such functions of two variables, the diameter of the simplex converges to zero, but examples constructed by McKinnon show that the algorithm may converge to a nonminimizing point. This paper considers the restricted Nelder-Mead algorithm, a variant that does not allow expansion steps. In two dimensions we show that, for any nondegenerate starting simplex and any twice-continuously differentiable function with positive definite Hessian and bounded level sets, the algorithm always converges to the minimizer. The proof is based on treating the method as a discrete dynamical system, and relies on several techniques that are non-standard in convergence proofs for unconstrained optimization.
We use the "closed point sieve" to prove a variant of a Bertini theorem over finite fields. Specifically, given a smooth quasi-projective subscheme X of P^n of dimension m over F_q, and a closed subscheme Z in P^n such that Z intersect X is smooth of dimension l, we compute the fraction of homogeneous polynomials vanishing on Z that cut out a smooth subvariety of X. The fraction is positive if m>2l.
André used Hodge-theoretic methods to show that in a smooth proper family X to B of varieties over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic 0, there exists a closed fiber having the same Picard number as the geometric generic fiber, even if k is countable. We give a completely different approach to André's theorem, which also proves the following refinement: in a family of varieties with good reduction at p, the locus on the base where the Picard number jumps is nowhere p-adically dense. Our proof uses the ``p-adic Lefschetz (1,1) theorem'' of Berthelot and Ogus, combined with an analysis of p-adic power series. We prove analogous statements for cycles of higher codimension, assuming a p-adic analogue of the variational Hodge conjecture, and prove that this analogue implies the usual variational Hodge conjecture. Applications are given to abelian schemes and to proper families of projective varieties.
There is an algorithm that takes as input a global field k and produces a curve over k violating the local-global principle. Also, given a global field k and a nonnegative integer n, one can effectively construct a curve X over k such that #X(k)=n and X has points over every completion of k.
For each number field k, the Bombieri-Lang conjecture for k-rational points on surfaces of general type implies the existence of a polynomial f(x,y) in k[x,y] inducing an injection k x k --> k.
The problem of deciding, given a complex variety X, a point x in X, and a subvariety Z of X, whether there is an automorphism of X mapping x into Z is proved undecidable. Along the way, we prove the undecidability of a version of Hilbert's tenth problem for systems of polynomials over Z defining an affine Q-variety whose projective closure is smooth.
We consider a tower of function fields F_0 < F_1 < ... over a finite field such that every place of every F_i ramified in the tower and the sequence genus(F_i)/[F_i:F_0] has a finite limit. We also construct a tower in which every place ramifies and the sequence N_i/[F_i:F_0] has a positive limit, where N_i is the number of degree-one places of F_i. These towers answer questions posed by Stichtenoth.
Let k be any global field of characteristic not 2. We construct a k-variety X such that X(k) is empty, but for which the emptiness cannot be explained by the Brauer-Manin obstruction or even by the Brauer-Manin obstruction applied to finite etale covers.
Fix a number field k. We prove that k* - k*^2 is diophantine over k. This is deduced from a theorem that for a nonconstant separable polynomial P(x) in k[x], there are at most finitely many a in k* modulo squares such that there is a Brauer-Manin obstruction to the Hasse principle for the conic bundle X given by y^2 - az^2 = P(x).
Fix a number field k. We prove that if there is an algorithm for deciding whether a smooth projective geometrically integral k-variety has a k-point, then there is an algorithm for deciding whether an arbitrary k-variety has a k-point and also an algorithm for computing X(k) for any k-variety X for which X(k) is finite. The proof involves the construction of a one-parameter algebraic family of Chatelet surfaces such that exactly one of the surfaces fails to have a k-point.
Let G be a commutative algebraic group over Q. Let Gamma be a subgroup of G(Q) contained in the union of the compact subgroups of G(Q_p). We formulate a guess for the dimension of the closure of Gamma in G(Q_p), and show that its correctness for certain tori is equivalent to Leopoldt's conjecture.
Given a correspondence between a modular curve and an elliptic curve A we study the group of relations among the CM points of A. In particular we prove that the intersection of any finite rank subgroup of A with the set of CM points of A is finite. We also prove a local version of this global result with an effective bound valid also for certain infinite rank subgroups. We deduce the local result from a ``reciprocity'' theorem for CL (canonical lift) points on A. Furthermore we prove similar global and local results for intersections between subgroups of A and isogeny classes in A. Finally we prove Shimura curve analogues and, in some cases, higher-dimensional versions of these results.
We prove that Z in definable in Q by a formula with 2 universal quantifiers followed by 7 existential quantifiers. It follows that there is no algorithm for deciding, given an algebraic family of Q-morphisms, whether there exists one that is surjective on rational points. We also give a formula, again with universal quantifiers followed by existential quantifiers, that in any number field defines the ring of integers.