arXiv subjects

David Holmes

Publications and source records attributed to David Holmes.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Néron models and the height jump divisor

We define an algebraic analogue, in the case of jacobians of curves, of the height jump divisor introduced recently by R. Hain. We give explicit combinatorial formulae for the height jump for families of semistable curves using labelled reduction graphs. With these techniques we prove a conjecture of Hain on the effectivity of the height jump, and also give a new proof of a theorem of Tate, Silverman and Green on the variation of heights in families of abelian varieties.

math.AG↗

arXiv2016

Néron models of jacobians over base schemes of dimension greater than 1

We investigate to what extent the theory of Néron models of jacobians and of abel-jacobi maps extends to relative curves over base schemes of dimension greater than 1. We give a necessary and sufficient criterion for the existence of a Néron model. We use this to show that, in general, Néron models do not exist even after making a modification or even alteration of the base. On the other hand, we show that Néron models do exist outside some codimension-2 locus.

math.AG↗

arXiv2015

A Néron model of the universal jacobian

The jacobian of the universal curve over $\mathcal{M}_{g,n}$ is an abelian scheme over $\mathcal{M}_{g,n}$. Our main result is the construction of an algebraic space $β\colon \tilde{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n} \rightarrow \bar{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}$ over which this jacobian admits a Néron model, and such that $β$ is universal with respect to this property. We prove certain basic properties, for example that $β$ is separated, locally of finite presentation, and satisfies a certain restricted form of the valuative criterion for properness. In general, $β$ is not quasi-compact. We relate our construction to Caporaso's balanced Picard stack $\mathcal{P}_{d,g}$.

math.AG↗

arXiv2015

The Brauer-Manin obstruction on Kummer varieties and ranks of twists of abelian varieties

Let r > 0 be an integer. We present a sufficient condition for an abelian variety A over a number field k to have infinitely many quadratic twists of rank at least r, in terms of density properties of rational points on the Kummer variety Km(A^r) of the r-fold product of A with itself. One consequence of our results is the following. Fix an abelian variety A over k, and suppose that for some r > 0 the Brauer-Manin obstruction to weak approximation on the Kummer variety Km(A^r) is the only one. Then A has a quadratic twist of rank at least r. Hence if the Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only one to weak approximation on all Kummer varieties, then ranks of twists of any positive-dimensional abelian variety are unbounded. This relates two significant open questions.

math.NT↗

arXiv2014

An Arakelov-Theoretic Approach to Naïve Heights on Hyperelliptic Jacobians

We use Arakelov theory to define a height on divisors of degree zero on a hyperelliptic curve over a global field, and show that this height has computably bounded difference from the Néron-Tate height of the corresponding point on the Jacobian. We give an algorithm to compute the set of points of bounded height with respect to this new height. This provides an `in principle' solution to the problem of determining the sets of points of bounded Néron-Tate heights on the Jacobian. We give a worked example of how to compute the bound over a global function field for several curves, of genera up to 11.

math.NT↗

arXiv2014

Deformability-based red blood cell separation in deterministic lateral displacement devices - a simulation study

We show, via three-dimensional immersed-boundary-finite-element-lattice-Boltzmann simulations, that deformability-based red blood cell (RBC) separation in deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) devices is possible. This is due to the deformability-dependent lateral extension of RBCs and enables us to predict a priori which RBCs will be displaced in a given DLD geometry. Several diseases affect the deformability of human cells. Malaria-infected RBCs or sickle cells, for example, tend to become stiffer than their healthy counterparts. It is therefore desirable to design microfluidic devices which can detect those diseases based on the cells' deformability fingerprint, rather than preparing samples using expensive and time-consuming biochemical preparation steps. Our findings should be helpful in the development of new methods for sorting cells and particles by deformability.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2014

Asymptotics of the Néron height pairing

The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we study the asymptotics of the Néron height pairing between degree-zero divisors on a family of degenerating compact Riemann surfaces parametrized by an algebraic curve. We show that if the monodromy is unipotent the leading term of the asymptotics is controlled by the local non-archimedean Néron height pairing on the generic fiber of the family. Second, we prove a conjecture of R. Hain to the effect that the `height jumping divisor' related to the normal function $(2g-2)x-K$ on the moduli space $\mm_{g,1}$ of 1-pointed curves of genus $g \geq 2$ is effective. Both results follow from a study of the degeneration of the canonical metric on the Poincaré bundle on a family of jacobian varieties.

math.AG↗

arXiv2013

Distributions of rational points on Kummer Varieties

We prove several results on the number of rational points on open subsets of Kummer varieties of arbitrary dimension. Some of our results are unconditional, and others depend on the Parity Conjecture (a corollary of the Conjecture of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer). As examples, we show that (conditional on the Parity Conjecture) all odd-dimension Kummer varieties over Q which are quotients of absolutely simple abelian varieties have dense rational points, and we construct an infinite family of K3 surfaces with dense rational points.

math.NT↗