arXiv subjects

Jennifer S. Balakrishnan

Publications and source records attributed to Jennifer S. Balakrishnan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Rational torsion on simple genus two Jacobians

We exhibit new subgroups of rational torsion points in geometrically simple Jacobians of genus-two curves over $\mathbb Q$. The largest group, which has order 96 and invariants [2,2,2,12], is realized by curves of the form $y^2 = x(x-a^2)(x-b^2)(x-c^2)(x-u^2)(x-v^2)$ where $a,b,c,u,v$ are positive integers that satisfy $a^2 + b^2 + c^2 = u^2 + v^2$ and $a^4 + b^4 + c^4 = u^4 + v^4$. We also find realizations of the groups [2,2,20], [2,2,4,4], [2,2,2,8], [2,4,8], and [6,6]. Finally, we record, to the best of our knowledge, all known subgroups that arise in genus-two Jacobians over $\mathbb Q$, in the geometrically simple case and in general.

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arXiv2026

p-adic elliptic polylogarithms and cubic Chabauty

The Chabauty--Coleman--Kim method, under favourable circumstances, describes the set of integral points of a hyperelliptic curve inside the $p$-adic zeroes of certain transcendental functions. For an elliptic curve of Mordell--Weil rank one, the Chabauty--Coleman--Kim set in depth 2 is given by the zeroes of a (finite union of) quadratic polynomial(s) in the $p$-adic logarithm of the elliptic curve and the local $p$-adic height at $p$. Here, we give an explicit formula for a finite set containing the Chabauty--Coleman--Kim set in depth 3 for an elliptic curve of rank at most 2 under an assumption on non-vanishing of a special value of a $p$-adic $L$-function. The finite set is given by the zeroes of a polynomial in $p$-adic elliptic polylogarithms. We use these formulas to verify new instances of Kim's conjecture.

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arXiv2025

Shadow line distributions

Let $E$ be an elliptic curve over $\mathbb{Q}$ with Mordell--Weil rank $2$ and $p$ be an odd prime of good ordinary reduction. For every imaginary quadratic field $K$ satisfying the Heegner hypothesis, there is (subject to the Shafarevich--Tate conjecture) a line, i.e., a free $\mathbb{Z}_p$-submodule of rank $1$, in $ E(K)\otimes \mathbb{Z}_p$ given by universal norms coming from the Mordell--Weil groups of subfields of the anticyclotomic $\mathbb{Z}_p$-extension of $K$; we call it the {\it shadow line}. When the twist of $E$ by $K$ has analytic rank $1$, the shadow line is conjectured to lie in $E(\mathbb{Q})\otimes\mathbb{Z}_p$; we verify this computationally in all our examples. We study the distribution of shadow lines in $E(\mathbb{Q})\otimes\mathbb{Z}_p$ as $K$ varies, framing conjectures based on the computations we have made.

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arXiv2025

A refined Chabauty--Coleman bound for surfaces

Caro and Pasten gave an explicit upper bound on the number of rational points on a hyperbolic surface that is embedded in an abelian variety of rank at most one. We show how to use their method to produce a refined bound on the number of rational points on the surface $W_2 := C+C$ in the case of a hyperelliptic curve $C$ of genus $3$ over $\mathbb{Q}$. Combining this with work of Siksek, we use this to determine $W_2(\mathbb{Q})$ in a selection of examples.

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arXiv2025

Rational points on the non-split Cartan modular curve of level 27 and quadratic Chabauty over number fields

Thanks to work of Rouse, Sutherland, and Zureick-Brown, it is known exactly which subgroups of GL$_2(\mathbf{Z}_3)$ can occur as the image of the $3$-adic Galois representation attached to a non-CM elliptic curve over $\mathbf{Q}$, with a single exception: the normaliser of the non-split Cartan subgroup of level 27. In this paper, we complete the classification of 3-adic Galois images by showing that the normaliser of the non-split Cartan subgroup of level 27 cannot occur as a 3-adic Galois image of a non-CM elliptic curve. Our proof proceeds via computing the $\mathbf{Q}(ζ_3)$-rational points on a certain smooth plane quartic curve $X'_H$ (arising as a quotient of the modular curve $X_{ns}^+(27)$) defined over $\mathbf{Q}(ζ_3)$ whose Jacobian has Mordell--Weil rank 6. To this end, we describe how to carry out the quadratic Chabauty method for a modular curve $X$ defined over a number field $F$, which, when applicable, determines a finite subset of $X(F\otimes\mathbf{Q}_p)$ in certain situations of larger Mordell--Weil rank than previously considered. Together with an analysis of local heights above 3, we apply this quadratic Chabauty method to determine $X'_H(\mathbf{Q}(ζ_3))$. This allows us to compute the set $X_{ns}^+(27)(\mathbf{Q})$, finishing the classification of 3-adic images of Galois.

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arXiv2024

Ogg's Torsion conjecture: Fifty years later

Andrew Ogg's mathematical viewpoint has inspired an increasingly broad array of results and conjectures. His results and conjectures have earmarked fruitful turning points in our subject, and his influence has been such a gift to all of us. Ogg's celebrated Torsion Conjecture -- as it relates to modular curves -- can be paraphrased as saying that rational points (on the modular curves that parametrize torsion points on elliptic curves) exist if and only if there is a good geometric reason for them to exist. We give a survey of Ogg's Torsion Conjecture and the subsequent developments in our understanding of rational points on modular curves over the last fifty years.

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arXiv2023

Variants of Lehmer's speculation for newforms

In the spirit of Lehmer's unresolved speculation on the nonvanishing of Ramanujan's tau-function, it is natural to ask whether a fixed integer is a value of $τ(n)$ or is a Fourier coefficient $a_f(n)$ of any given newform $f(z)$. We offer a method, which applies to newforms with integer coefficients and trivial residual mod 2 Galois representation, that answers this question for odd integers. We determine infinitely many spaces for which the primes $3\leq \ell\leq 37$ are not absolute values of coefficients of newforms with integer coefficients. For $τ(n)$ with $n>1$, we prove that $$τ(n)\not \in \{\pm 1, \pm 3, \pm 5, \pm 7, \pm 13, \pm 17, -19, \pm 23, \pm 37, \pm 691\},$$ and assuming GRH we show for primes $\ell$ that $$τ(n)\not \in \left \{ \pm \ell\ : \ 41\leq \ell\leq 97 \ {\textrm{with}}\ \left(\frac{\ell}{5}\right)=-1\right\} \cup \left \{ -11, -29, -31, -41, -59, -61, -71, -79, -89\right\}. $$ We also obtain sharp lower bounds for the number of prime factors of such newform coefficients. In the weight aspect, for powers of odd primes $\ell$, we prove that $\pm \ell^m$ is not a coefficient of any such newform $f$ with weight $2k>M^{\pm}(\ell,m)=O_{\ell}(m)$ and even level coprime to $\ell,$ where $M^{\pm}(\ell,m)$ is effectively computable.

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arXiv2023

Quadratic Chabauty for modular curves: Algorithms and examples

We describe how the quadratic Chabauty method may be applied to explicitly determine the set of rational points on modular curves of genus $g>1$ whose Jacobians have Mordell--Weil rank $g$. This extends our previous work on the split Cartan curve of level 13 and allows us to consider modular curves that may have few known rational points or nontrivial local height contributions at primes of bad reduction. We illustrate our algorithms with a number of examples where we determine the set of rational points on several modular curves of genus 2 and 3: this includes Atkin--Lehner quotients $X_0^+(N)$ of prime level $N$, the curve $X_{S_4}(13)$, as well as a few other curves relevant to Mazur's Program B. We also describe the computation of rational points on the genus 6 non-split Cartan modular curve $X_{\textrm{ns}} ^+ (17)$.

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arXiv2021

Even values of Ramanujan's tau-function

In the spirit of Lehmer's speculation that Ramanujan's tau-function never vanishes, it is natural to ask whether any given integer $α$ is a value of $τ(n)$. For odd $α$, Murty, Murty, and Shorey proved that $τ(n)\neq α$ for sufficiently large $n$. Several recent papers have identified explicit examples of odd $α$ which are not tau-values. Here we apply these results (most notably the recent work of Bennett, Gherga, Patel, and Siksek) to offer the first examples of even integers that are not tau-values. Namely, for primes $\ell$ we find that $$ τ(n)\not \in \{ \pm 2\ell \ : \ 3\leq \ell< 100\} \cup \{\pm 2\ell^2 \ : \ 3\leq \ell <100\} \cup \{\pm 2\ell^3 \ : \ 3\leq \ell<100\ {\text {\rm with $\ell\neq 59$}}\}.$$ Moreover, we obtain such results for infinitely many powers of each prime $3\leq \ell<100$. As an example, for $\ell=97$ we prove that $$τ(n)\not \in \{ 2\cdot 97^j \ : \ 1\leq j\not \equiv 0\pmod{44}\}\cup \{-2\cdot 97^j \ : \ j\geq 1\}.$$ The method of proof applies mutatis mutandis to newforms with residually reducible mod 2 Galois representation and is easily adapted to generic newforms with integer coefficients.

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arXiv2020

Explicit quadratic Chabauty over number fields

We generalize the explicit quadratic Chabauty techniques for integral points on odd degree hyperelliptic curves and for rational points on genus 2 bielliptic curves to arbitrary number fields using restriction of scalars. This is achieved by combining equations coming from Siksek's extension of classical Chabauty with equations defined in terms of p-adic heights attached to independent continuous idele class characters. We give several examples to show the practicality of our methods.

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arXiv2020

Explicit Coleman integration for curves

The Coleman integral is a $p$-adic line integral that plays a key role in computing several important invariants in arithmetic geometry. We give an algorithm for explicit Coleman integration on curves, using the algorithms of the second author to compute the action of Frobenius on $p$-adic cohomology. We present a collection of examples computed with our implementation. This includes integrals on a genus 55 curve, where other methods do not currently seem practical.

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arXiv2020

Variations of Lehmer's Conjecture for Ramanujan's tau-function

We consider natural variants of Lehmer's unresolved conjecture that Ramanujan's tau-function never vanishes. Namely, for $n>1$ we prove that $$τ(n)\not \in \{\pm 1, \pm 3, \pm 5, \pm 7, \pm 691\}.$$ This result is an example of general theorems for newforms with trivial mod 2 residual Galois representation, which will appear in forthcoming work of the authors with Wei-Lun Tsai. Ramanujan's well-known congruences for $τ(n)$ allow for the simplified proof in these special cases. We make use of the theory of Lucas sequences, the Chabauty-Coleman method for hyperelliptic curves, and facts about certain Thue equations.

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arXiv2020

Two recent p-adic approaches towards the (effective) Mordell conjecture

We give an introductory account of two recent approaches towards an effective proof of the Mordell conjecture, due to Lawrence--Venkatesh and Kim. The latter method, which is usually called the method of Chabauty--Kim or non-abelian Chabauty in the literature, has the advantage that in some cases it has been turned into an effective method to determine the set of rational points on a curve, and we illustrate this by presenting three new examples of modular curves where this set can be determined.

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arXiv2018

Quadratic Chabauty and rational points II: Generalised height functions on Selmer varieties

We give new instances where Chabauty--Kim sets can be proved to be finite, by developing a notion of "generalised height functions" on Selmer varieties. We also explain how to compute these generalised heights in terms of iterated integrals and give the first explicit nonabelian Chabauty result for a curve $X/\mathbb{Q}$ whose Jacobian has Mordell-Weil rank larger than its genus.

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arXiv2018

Chabauty-Coleman experiments for genus 3 hyperelliptic curves

We describe a computation of rational points on genus 3 hyperelliptic curves $C$ defined over $\mathbb{Q}$ whose Jacobians have Mordell-Weil rank 1. Using the method of Chabauty and Coleman, we present and implement an algorithm in Sage to compute the zero locus of two Coleman integrals and analyze the finite set of points cut out by the vanishing of these integrals. We run the algorithm on approximately 17,000 curves from a forthcoming database of genus 3 hyperelliptic curves and discuss some interesting examples where the zero set includes global points not found in $C(\mathbb{Q})$.

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arXiv2018

Quadratic Chabauty and rational points I: p-adic heights

We give the first explicit examples beyond the Chabauty-Coleman method where Kim's nonabelian Chabauty program determines the set of rational points of a curve defined over $\mathbb{Q}$ or a quadratic number field. We accomplish this by studying the role of $p$-adic heights in explicit nonabelian Chabauty.

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arXiv2017

Explicit Chabauty-Kim for the Split Cartan Modular Curve of Level 13

We extend the explicit quadratic Chabauty methods developed in previous work by the first two authors to the case of non-hyperelliptic curves. This results in an algorithm to compute the rational points on a curve of genus $g \ge 2$ over the rationals whose Jacobian has Mordell-Weil rank $g$ and Picard number greater than one, and which satisfies some additional conditions. This algorithm is then applied to the modular curve $X_{s}(13)$, completing the classification of non-CM elliptic curves over $\mathbf{Q}$ with split Cartan level structure due to Bilu-Parent and Bilu-Parent-Rebolledo.

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arXiv2016

Shadow lines in the arithmetic of elliptic curves

Let E/Q be an elliptic curve and p a rational prime of good ordinary reduction. For every imaginary quadratic field K/Q satisfying the Heegner hypothesis for E we have a corresponding line in E(K)\otimes Q_p, known as a shadow line. When E/Q has analytic rank 2 and E/K has analytic rank 3, shadow lines are expected to lie in E(Q)\otimes Q_p. If, in addition, p splits in K/Q, then shadow lines can be determined using the anticyclotomic p-adic height pairing. We develop an algorithm to compute anticyclotomic p-adic heights which we then use to provide an algorithm to compute shadow lines. We conclude by illustrating these algorithms in a collection of examples.

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