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Joseph H. Silverman

Publications and source records attributed to Joseph H. Silverman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2024

Dynamical Degrees, Arithmetic Degrees, and Canonical Heights: History, Conjectures, and Future Directions

In this note we give an overview of various quantities that are used to measure the complexity of an algebraic dynamical system f:X-->X, including the dynamical degree d(f), which gives a coarse measure of the geometric complexity of the iterates of f, the arithmetic degree a(f,P), which gives a coarse measure of the arithmetic complexity of the orbit of a an algebraic point P in X, and various versions of the canonical height h_f(P) that provide more refined measures of arithmetic complexity. Emphasis is placed on open problems and directions for further exploration.

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arXiv2024

Propagation of Zariski Dense Orbits

Let $X/K$ be a smooth projective variety defined over a number field, and let $f:X\to{X}$ be a morphism defined over $K$. We formulate a number of statements of varying strengths asserting, roughly, that if there is at least one point $P_0\in{X(K)}$ whose $f$-orbit $\mathcal{O}_f(P_0):=\bigl\{f^n(P):n\in\mathbb{N}\bigr\}$ is Zariski dense, then there are many such points. For example, a weak conclusion would be that $X(K)$ is not the union of finitely many (grand) $f$-orbits, while a strong conclusion would be that any set of representatives for the Zariski dense grand $f$-orbits is Zariski dense. We prove statements of this sort for various classes of varieties and maps, including projective spaces, abelian varieties, and surfaces.

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arXiv2024

A Lehmer-Type Lower Bound for the Canonical Height on Elliptic Curves Over Function Fields

Let $\mathbb{F}$ be the function field of a curve over an algebraically closed field with $\operatorname{char}(\mathbb{F})\ne2,3$, and let $E/\mathbb{F}$ be an elliptic curve. Then for all finite extensions $\mathbb{K}/\mathbb{F}$ and all non-torsion points $P\in{E(\mathbb{K})}$, the $\mathbb{F}$-normalized canonical height of $P$ is bounded below by \[ \hat{h}_E(P) \ge \frac{1}{10500\cdot h_{\mathbb{F}}(j_E)^{2}\cdot [\mathbb{K}:\mathbb{F}]^{2}}. \]

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arXiv2023

A Heuristic Subexponential Algorithm to Find Paths in Markoff Graphs Over Finite Fields

Charles, Goren, and Lauter [J. Cryptology 22(1), 2009] explained how one can construct hash functions using expander graphs in which it is hard to find paths between specified vertices. The set of solutions to the classical Markoff equation $X^2+Y^2+Z^2=XYZ$ in a finite field $\mathbb{F}_q$ has a natural structure as a tri-partite graph using three non-commuting polynomial automorphisms to connect the points. These graphs conjecturally form an expander family, and Fuchs, Lauter, Litman, and Tran [Mathematical Cryptology 1(1), 2022] suggest using this family of Markoff graphs in the CGL construction. In this note we show that in both a theoretical and a practical sense, assuming two randomness hypotheses, the path problem in a Markoff graph over $\mathbb{F}_q$ can be solved in subexponential time, and is more-or-less equivalent in difficulty to factoring $q-1$ and solving three discrete logarithm problem in $\mathbb{F}_q^*$.

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arXiv2023

The size of semigroup orbits modulo primes

Let $V$ be a projective variety defined over a number field $K$, let $S$ be a polarized set of endomorphisms of $V$ all defined over $K$, and let $P\in V(K)$. For each prime $\mathfrak{p}$ of $K$, let $m_{\mathfrak{p}}(S,P)$ denote the number of points in the orbit of $P\bmod\mathfrak{p}$ for the semigroup of maps generated by $S$. Under suitable hypotheses on $S$ and $P$, we prove an analytic estimate for $m_{\mathfrak{p}}(S,P)$ and use it to show that the set of primes for which $m_{\mathfrak{p}}(S,P)$ grows subexponentially as a function of $\operatorname{\mathsf{N}}_{K/\mathbb{Q}}\mathfrak{p}$ is a set of density zero. For $V=\mathbb{P}^1$ we show that this holds for a generic set of maps $S$ provided that at least two of the maps in $S$ have degree at least four.

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arXiv2022

Orbits on K3 Surfaces of Markoff Type

Let $\mathcal{W}\subset\mathbb{P}^1\times\mathbb{P}^1\times\mathbb{P}^1$ be a surface given by the vanishing of a $(2,2,2)$-form. These surfaces admit three involutions coming from the three projections $\mathcal{W}\to\mathbb{P}^1\times\mathbb{P}^1$, so we call them $\textit{tri-involutive K3 (TIK3) surfaces}$. By analogy with the classical Markoff equation, we say that $\mathcal{W}$ is of $\textit{Markoff type (MK3)}$ if it is symmetric in its three coordinates and invariant under double sign changes. An MK3 surface admits a group of automorphisms $\mathcal{G}$ generated by the three involutions, coordinate permutations, and sign changes. In this paper we study the $\mathcal{G}$-orbit structure of points on TIK3 and MK3 surfaces. Over finite fields, we study fibral connectivity and the existence of large orbits, analogous to work of Bourgain, Gamburd, Sarnak and others for the classical Markoff equation. For a particular $1$-parameter family of MK3 surfaces $\mathcal{W}_k$, we compute the full $\mathcal{G}$-orbit structure of $\mathcal{W}_k(\mathbb{F}_p)$ for all primes $p\le113$, and we use this data as a guide to find many finite $\mathcal{G}$-orbits in $\mathcal{W}_k(\mathbb{C})$, including a family of orbits of size $288$ parameterized by a curve of genus $9$.

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arXiv2021

A Lehmer-type height lower bound for abelian surfaces over function fields

Let $K$ be a 1-dimensional function field over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $0$, and let $A/K$ be an abelian surface. Under mild assumptions, we prove a Lehmer-type lower bound for points in $A(\bar{K})$. More precisely, we prove that there are constants $C_1,C_2>0$ such that the normalized Bernoulli-part of the canonical height is bounded below by $$ \hat{h}_A^{\mathbb{B}}(P) \ge C_1\bigl[K(P):K\bigr]^{-2} $$ for all points $P\in{A(\bar{K})}$ whose height satisfies $0<\hat{h}_A(P)\le{C_2}$.

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arXiv2020

The Distribution Relation and Inverse Function Theorem in Arithmetic Geometry

We study arithmetic distribution relations and the inverse function theorem in algebraic and arithmetic geometry, with an emphasis on versions that can be applied uniformly across families of varieties and maps. In particular, we prove two explicit versions of the inverse function theorem, the first via general distribution and separation inequalities that may be of independent interest, the second via a careful implementation of classical Newton iteration.

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arXiv2019

Post-Critically Finite Maps on $\mathbb{P}^n$ for $n\ge2$ are Sparse

Let $f:{\mathbb P}^n\to{\mathbb P}^n$ be a morphism of degree $d\ge2$. The map $f$ is said to be post-critically finite (PCF) if there exist integers $k\ge1$ and $\ell\ge0$ such that the critical locus $\operatorname{Crit}_f$ satisfies $f^{k+\ell}(\operatorname{Crit}_f)\subseteq{f^\ell(\operatorname{Crit}_f)}$. The smallest such $\ell$ is called the tail-length. We prove that for $d\ge3$ and $n\ge2$, the set of PCF maps $f$ with tail-length at most $2$ is not Zariski dense in the the parameter space of all such maps. In particular, maps with periodic critical loci, i.e., with $\ell=0$, are not Zariski dense.

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arXiv2019

GIT Stability of Henon Maps

In this paper we study the locus of generalized degree $d$ Henon maps in the parameter space $\operatorname{Rat}_d^N$ of degree $d$ rational maps $\mathbb{P}^N\to\mathbb{P}^N$ modulo the conjugation action of $\operatorname{SL}_{N+1}$. We show that Henon maps are in the GIT unstable locus if $N\ge3$ or $d\ge3$, and that they are semistable, but not stable, in the remaining case of $N=d=2$. We also give a general classification of all unstable maps in $\operatorname{Rat}_2^2$.

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arXiv2018

Moduli Spaces for Dynamical Systems with Portraits

A $\textit{portrait}$ $\mathcal{P}$ on $\mathbb{P}^N$ is a pair of finite point sets $Y\subseteq{X}\subset\mathbb{P}^N$, a map $Y\to X$, and an assignment of weights to the points in $Y$. We construct a parameter space $\operatorname{End}_d^N[\mathcal{P}]$ whose points correspond to degree $d$ endomorphisms $f:\mathbb{P}^N\to\mathbb{P}^N$ such that $f:Y\to{X}$ is as specified by a portrait $\mathcal{P}$, and prove the existence of the GIT quotient moduli space $\mathcal{M}_d^N[\mathcal{P}]:=\operatorname{End}_d^N//\operatorname{SL}_{N+1}$ under the $\operatorname{SL}_{N+1}$-action $(f,Y,X)^ϕ=\bigl(ϕ^{-1}\circ{f}\circϕ,ϕ^{-1}(Y),ϕ^{-1}(X)\bigr)$ relative to an appropriately chosen line bundle. We also investigate the geometry of $\mathcal{M}_d^N[\mathcal{P}]$ and give two arithmetic applications.

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arXiv2018

Degeneration of Dynamical Degrees in Families of Maps

The dynamical degree of a dominant rational map $f:\mathbb{P}^N\rightarrow\mathbb{P}^N$ is the quantity $δ(f):=\lim(\text{deg} f^n)^{1/n}$. We study the variation of dynamical degrees in 1-parameter families of maps $f_T$. We make a conjecture and ask two questions concerning, respectively, the set of $t$ such that: (1) $δ(f_t)\leδ(f_T)-ε$; (2) $δ(f_t)<δ(f_T)$; (3) $δ(f_t)<δ(f_T)$ and $δ(g_t)<δ(g_T)$ for "independent" families of maps. We give a sufficient condition for our conjecture to hold and prove that it is true for monomial maps. We describe non-trivial families of maps for which our questions have affirmative and negative answers.

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arXiv2018

Current Trends and Open Problems in Arithmetic Dynamics

Arithmetic dynamics is the study of number theoretic properties of dynamical systems. A relatively new field, it draws inspiration partly from dynamical analogues of theorems and conjectures in classical arithmetic geometry, and partly from $p$-adic analogues of theorems and conjectures in classical complex dynamics. In this article we survey some of the motivating problems and some of the recent progress in the field of arithmetic dynamics.

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arXiv2017

Integrality properties of Böttcher coordinates for one-dimensional superattracting germs

Let $R$ be a ring of characteristic $0$ with field of fractions $K$, and let $m\ge2$. The Böttcher coordinate of a power series $φ(x)\in x^m + x^{m+1}R[\![x]\!]$ is the unique power series $f_φ(x)\in x+x^2K[\![x]\!]$ satisfying $φ\circ f_φ(x) = f_φ(x^m)$. In this paper we study the integrality properties of the coefficients of $f_φ(x)$, partly for their intrinsic interest and partly for potential applications to $p$-adic dynamics. Results include: (1) If $p$ is prime and $R=\mathbb Z_p$ and $φ(x)\in x^p + px^{p+1}R[\![x]\!]$, then $f_φ(x)\in R[\![x]\!]$. (2) If $φ(x)\in x^m + mx^{m+1}R[\![x]\!]$, then $f_φ(x)=x\sum_{k=0}^\infty a_kx^k/k!$ with all $a_k\in R$. (3) In (2), if $m=p^2$, then $a_k\equiv-1\pmod{p}$ for all $k$ that are powers of $p$.

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arXiv2017

A classification of degree $2$ semi-stable rational maps $\mathbb{P}^2\to\mathbb{P}^2$ with large finite dynamical automorphism group

Let $K$ be an algebraically closed field of characteristic $0$. In this paper we classify the $\text{PGL}_3(K)$-conjugacy classes of semi-stable dominant degree $2$ rational maps $f:{\mathbb P}^2_K\dashrightarrow{\mathbb P}^2_K$ whose automorphism group $$\text{Aut}(f):=\{ϕ\in\text{PGL}_3(K): ϕ^{-1}\circ f\circϕ=f\}$$ is finite and of order at least $3$. In particular, we prove that $\#\text{Aut}(f)\le24$ in general, that $\#\text{Aut}(f)\le21$ for morphisms, and that $\#\text{Aut}(f)\le6$ for all but finitely many conjugacy classes of $f$.

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arXiv2017

Good reduction and Shafarevich-type theorems for dynamical systems with portrait level structures

Let $K$ be a number field, let $S$ be a finite set of places of $K$, and let $R_S$ be the ring of $S$-integers of $K$. A $K$-morphism $f:\mathbb{P}^1_K\to\mathbb{P}^1_K$ has simple good reduction outside $S$ if it extends to an $R_S$-morphism $\mathbb{P}^1_{R_S}\to\mathbb{P}^1_{R_S}$. A finite Galois invariant subset $X\subset\mathbb{P}^1_K(\bar{K})$ has good reduction outside $S$ if its closure in $\mathbb{P}^1_{R_S}$ is étale over $R_S$. We study triples $(f,Y,X)$ with $X=Y\cup f(Y)$. We prove that for a fixed $K$, $S$, and $d$, there are only finitely many $\text{PGL}_2(R_S)$-equivalence classes of triples with $\text{deg}(f)=d$ and $\sum_{P\in Y}e_f(P)\ge2d+1$ and $X$ having good reduction outside $S$. We consider refined questions in which the weighted directed graph structure on $f:Y\to X$ is specified, and we give an exhaustive analysis for degree $2$ maps on $\mathbb{P}^1$ when $Y=X$.

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