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Everett W. Howe

Publications and source records attributed to Everett W. Howe.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2018

Principally polarized squares of elliptic curves with field of moduli equal to Q

We give equations for 13 genus-2 curves over $\overline{\mathbb{Q}}$, with models over $\mathbb{Q}$, whose unpolarized Jacobians are isomorphic to the square of an elliptic curve with complex multiplication by a maximal order. If the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis is true, there are no further examples of such curves. More generally, we prove under the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis that there exist exactly 46 genus-2 curves over $\overline{\mathbb{Q}}$ with field of moduli $\mathbb{Q}$ whose Jacobians are isomorphic to the square of an elliptic curve with complex multiplication by a maximal order.

math.NT↗
arXiv2017

Curves of medium genus with many points

The defect of a curve over a finite field is the difference between the number of rational points on the curve and the Weil-Serre upper bound for the number of points on the curve. We present algorithms for constructing curves of genus 5, 6, and 7 with small defect. Our aim is to be able to produce, in a reasonable amount of time, curves that can be used to populate the online table of curves with many points found at http://www.manypoints.org.

math.NT↗
arXiv2017

Locally recoverable codes from algebraic curves and surfaces

A locally recoverable code is a code over a finite alphabet such that the value of any single coordinate of a codeword can be recovered from the values of a small subset of other coordinates. Building on work of Barg, Tamo, and Vlăduţ, we present several constructions of locally recoverable codes from algebraic curves and surfaces.

cs.IT↗
arXiv2016

Split abelian surfaces over finite fields and reductions of genus-2 curves

For prime powers q, let s(q) denote the probability that a randomly-chosen principally-polarized abelian surface over the finite field F_q is not simple. We show that there are positive constants B and C such that for all q, B (log q)^{-3}(log log q)^{-4} < s(q)sqrt(q) < C (log q)^4(log log q)^2, and we obtain better estimates under the assumption of the generalized Riemann hypothesis. If A is a principally-polarized abelian surface over a number field K, let pi_split(A/K, z) denote the number of prime ideals p of K of norm at most z such that A has good reduction at p and A_p is not simple. We conjecture that for sufficiently general A, the counting function pi_split(A/K, z) grows like sqrt(z)/log z. We indicate why our theorem on the rate of growth of s(q) gives us reason to hope that our conjecture is true.

math.NT↗
arXiv2016

Optimal quotients and surjections of Mordell-Weil groups

Answering a question of Ed Schaefer, we show that if J is the Jacobian of a curve C over a number field, if s is an automorphism of J coming from an automorphism of C, and if u lies in the subring Z[s] of End J and has connected kernel, then it is not necessarily the case that u gives a surjective map from the Mordell-Weil group of J to the Mordell-Weil group of its image.

math.NT↗
arXiv2015

Quickly constructing curves of genus 4 with many points

The "defect" of a curve over a finite field is the difference between the number of rational points on the curve and the Weil-Serre bound for the curve. We present a construction for producing genus-4 double covers of genus-2 curves over finite fields such that the defect of the double cover is not much more than the defect of the genus-2 curve. We give an algorithm that uses this construction to produce genus-4 curves with small defect. Heuristically, for all sufficiently large primes and for almost all prime powers q, the algorithm is expected to produce a genus-4 curve over F_q with defect at most 4 in time q^{3/4}, up to logarithmic factors. As part of the analysis of the algorithm, we present a reinterpretation of results of Hayashida on the number of genus-2 curves whose Jacobians are isomorphic to the square of a given elliptic curve with complex multiplication by a maximal order. We show that a category of principal polarizations on the square of such an elliptic curve is equivalent to a category of right ideals in a certain quaternion order.

math.NT↗
arXiv2014

Genus-2 Jacobians with torsion points of large order

We produce new explicit examples of genus-2 curves over the rational numbers whose Jacobian varieties have rational torsion points of large order. In particular, we produce a family of genus-2 curves over Q whose Jacobians have a rational point of order 48, parametrized by a rank-2 elliptic curve over Q, and we exhibit a single genus-2 curve over Q whose Jacobian has a rational point of order 70, the largest order known. We also give new examples of genus-2 Jacobians with rational points of order 27, 28, and 39. Most of our examples are produced by `gluing' two elliptic curves together along their n-torsion subgroups, where n is either 2 or 3. The 2-gluing examples arise from techniques developed by the author in joint work with Leprévost and Poonen 15 years ago. The 3-gluing examples are made possible by an algorithm for explicit 3-gluing over non-algebraically closed fields recently developed by the author in joint work with Bröker, Lauter, and Stevenhagen.

math.AG↗
arXiv2014

Genus-2 curves and Jacobians with a given number of points

We study the problem of efficiently constructing a curve C of genus 2 over a finite field F for which either the curve C itself or its Jacobian has a prescribed number N of F-rational points. In the case of the Jacobian, we show that any `CM-construction' to produce the required genus-2 curves necessarily takes time exponential in the size of its input. On the other hand, we provide an algorithm for producing a genus-2 curve with a given number of points that, heuristically, takes polynomial time for most input values. We illustrate the practical applicability of this algorithm by constructing a genus-2 curve having exactly 10^2014 + 9703 (prime) points, and two genus-2 curves each having exactly 10^2013 points. In an appendix we provide a complete parametrization, over an arbitrary base field k of characteristic neither 2 nor 3, of the family of genus-2 curves over k that have k-rational degree-3 maps to elliptic curves, including formulas for the genus-2 curves, the associated elliptic curves, and the degree-3 maps.

math.NT↗
arXiv2012

New methods for bounding the number of points on curves over finite fields

We provide new upper bounds on N_q(g), the maximum number of rational points on a smooth absolutely irreducible genus-g curve over F_q, for many values of q and g. Among other results, we find that N_4(7) = 21 and N_8(5) = 29, and we show that a genus-12 curve over F_2 having 15 rational points must have characteristic polynomial of Frobenius equal to one of three explicitly given possibilities. We also provide sharp upper bounds for the lengths of the shortest vectors in Hermitian lattices of small rank and determinant over the maximal orders of small imaginary quadratic fields of class number 1. Some of our intermediate results can be interpreted in terms of Mordell-Weil lattices of constant elliptic curves over one-dimensional function fields over finite fields. Using the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture for such elliptic curves, we deduce lower bounds on the orders of certain Shafarevich-Tate groups.

math.NT↗
arXiv2011

Lower bounds on the lengths of double-base representations

A double-base representation of an integer n is an expression n = n_1 + ... + n_r, where the n_i are (positive or negative) integers that are divisible by no primes other than 2 or 3; the length of the representation is the number r of terms. It is known that there is a constant a > 0 such that every integer n has a double-base representation of length at most a log n / log log n. We show that there is a constant c > 0 such that there are infinitely many integers n whose shortest double-base representations have length greater than c log n / (log log n log log log n). Our methods allow us to find the smallest positive integers with no double-base representations of several lengths. In particular, we show that 103 is the smallest positive integer with no double-base representation of length 2, that 4985 is the smallest positive integer with no double-base representation of length 3, that 641687 is the smallest positive integer with no double-base representation of length 4, and that 326552783 is the smallest positive integer with no double-base representation of length 5.

math.NT↗
arXiv2008

Nonisomorphic curves that become isomorphic over extensions of coprime degrees

We show that one can find two nonisomorphic curves over a field K that become isomorphic to one another over two finite extensions of K whose degrees over K are coprime to one another. More specifically, let K_0 be an arbitrary prime field and let r and s be integers greater than 1 that are coprime to one another. We show that one can find a finite extension K of K_0, a degree-r extension L of K, a degree-s extension M of K, and two curves C and D over K such that C and D become isomorphic to one another over L and over M, but not over any proper subextensions of L/K or M/K. We show that such C and D can never have genus 0, and that if K is finite, C and D can have genus 1 if and only if {r,s} = {2,3} and K is an odd-degree extension of F_3. On the other hand, when {r,s}={2,3} we show that genus-2 examples occur in every characteristic other than 3. Our detailed analysis of the case {r,s} = {2,3} shows that over every finite field K there exist nonisomorphic curves C and D that become isomorphic to one another over the quadratic and cubic extensions of K. Most of our proofs rely on Galois cohomology. Without using Galois cohomology, we show that two nonisomorphic genus-0 curves over an arbitrary field remain nonisomorphic over every odd-degree extension of the base field.

math.AG↗
arXiv2008

Characteristic polynomials of automorphisms of hyperelliptic curves

Let alpha be an automorphism of a hyperelliptic curve C of genus g, and let alpha' be the automorphism of P^1 induced by alpha. Let n be the order of alpha and let n' be the order of alpha'. We show that the triple (g,n,n') completely determines the characteristic polynomial of the automorphism alpha^* of the Jacobian of C, unless n is even, n=n', and (2g+2)/n is even, in which case there are two possibilities. We give explicit formulas for the characteristic polynomial in all cases.

math.AG↗
arXiv2007

Improved upper bounds for the number of points on curves over finite fields

We give new arguments that improve the known upper bounds on the maximal number N_q(g) of rational points of a curve of genus g over a finite field F_q for a number of pairs (q,g). Given a pair (q,g) and an integer N, we determine the possible zeta functions of genus-g curves over F_q with N points, and then deduce properties of the curves from their zeta functions. In many cases we can show that a genus-g curve over F_q with N points must have a low-degree map to another curve over F_q, and often this is enough to give us a contradiction. In particular, we able to provide eight previously unknown values of N_q(g), namely: N_4(5) = 17, N_4(10) = 27, N_8(9) = 45, N_{16}(4) = 45, N_{128}(4) = 215, N_3(6) = 14, N_9(10) = 54, and N_{27}(4) = 64. Our arguments also allow us to give a non-computer-intensive proof of the recent result of Savitt that there are no genus-4 curves over F_8 having exactly 27 rational points. Furthermore, we show that there is an infinite sequence of q's such that for every g with 0 < g < log_2 q, the difference between the Weil-Serre bound on N_q(g) and the actual value of N_q(g) is at least g/2.

math.NT↗
arXiv2006

Supersingular genus-two curves over fields of characteristic three

Let C be a supersingular genus-2 curve over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 3. We show that if C is not isomorphic to the curve y^2 = x^5 + 1 then up to isomorphism there are exactly 20 degree-3 maps phi from C to the elliptic curve E with j-invariant 0. We study the coarse moduli space of triples (C,E,phi), paying particular attention to questions of rationality. The results we obtain allow us to determine, for every finite field k of characteristic 3, the polynomials that occur as Weil polynomials of supersingular genus-2 curves over k.

math.NT↗
arXiv2006

Principally polarizable isogeny classes of abelian surfaces over finite fields

Let A be an isogeny class of abelian surfaces over F_q with Weil polynomial x^4 + ax^3 + bx^2 + aqx + q^2. We show that A does not contain a surface that has a principal polarization if and only if a^2 - b = q and b < 0 and all prime divisors of b are congruent to 1 modulo 3. We use this result in a forthcoming paper in which we determine which isogeny classes of abelian surfaces over finite fields contain Jacobians.

math.NT↗