Explicit n-descent on elliptic curves. III. Algorithms

This is the third in a series of papers in which we study the n-Selmer group of an elliptic curve, with the aim of representing its elements as curves of degree n in P^{n-1}. The methods we describe are practical in the case n=3 for elliptic curves over the rationals, and have been implemented in Magma. One important ingredient of our work is an algorithm for trivialising central simple algebras. This is of independent interest: for example, it could be used for parametrising Brauer-Severi surfaces.Comment: 43 pages, comes with a file containing Magma code for the computations used for the examples. v2: some small edit

Second p descents on elliptic curves

Let p be a prime and let C be a genus one curve over a number field k representing an element of order dividing p in the Shafarevich-Tate group of its Jacobian. We describe an algorithm which computes the set of D in the Shafarevich-Tate group such that pD = C and obtains explicit models for these D as curves in projective space. This leads to a practical algorithm for performing 9-descents on elliptic curves over the rationals.Comment: 45 page

Explicit isogeny descent on elliptic curves

In this note, we consider an l-isogeny descent on a pair of elliptic curves over Q. We assume that l > 3 is a prime. The main result expresses the relevant Selmer groups as kernels of simple explicit maps between finite- dimensional F_l-vector spaces defined in terms of the splitting fields of the kernels of the two isogenies. We give examples of proving the l-part of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjectural formula for certain curves of small conductor.Comment: 17 pages, accepted for publication in Mathematics of Computatio

Visualising Sha[2] in Abelian Surfaces

Given an elliptic curve E1 over a number field and an element s in its 2-Selmer group, we give two different ways to construct infinitely many Abelian surfaces A such that the homogeneous space representing s occurs as a fibre of A over another elliptic curve E2. We show that by comparing the 2-Selmer groups of E1, E2 and A, we can obtain information about Sha(E1/K)[2] and we give examples where we use this to obtain a sharp bound on the Mordell-Weil rank of an elliptic curve. As a tool, we give a precise description of the m-Selmer group of an Abelian surface A that is m-isogenous to a product of elliptic curves E1 x E2. One of the constructions can be applied iteratively to obtain information about Sha(E1/K)[2^n]. We give an example where we use this iterated application to exhibit an element of order 4 in Sha(E1/Q).Comment: 17 page

Splitting full matrix algebras over algebraic number fields

Let K be an algebraic number field of degree d and discriminant D over Q. Let A be an associative algebra over K given by structure constants such that A is isomorphic to the algebra M_n(K) of n by n matrices over K for some positive integer n. Suppose that d, n and D are bounded. Then an isomorphism of A with M_n(K) can be constructed by a polynomial time ff-algorithm. (An ff-algorithm is a deterministic procedure which is allowed to call oracles for factoring integers and factoring univariate polynomials over finite fields.) As a consequence, we obtain a polynomial time ff-algorithm to compute isomorphisms of central simple algebras of bounded degree over K.Comment: 15 pages; Theorem 2 and Lemma 8 correcte