Group law computations on Jacobians of hyperelliptic curves

We derive an explicit method of computing the composition step in Cantor’s algorithm for group operations on Jacobians of hyperelliptic curves. Our technique is inspired by the geometric description of the group law and applies to hyperelliptic curves of arbitrary genus. While Cantor’s general composition involves arithmetic in the polynomial ring F_q[x], the algorithm we propose solves a linear system over the base field which can be written down directly from the Mumford coordinates of the group elements. We apply this method to give more efficient formulas for group operations in both affine and projective coordinates for cryptographic systems based on Jacobians of genus 2 hyperelliptic curves in general form

On the height of Gross-Schoen cycles in genus three

We show that there exists a sequence of genus three curves defined over the rationals in which the height of a canonical Gross-Schoen cycle tends to infinity.Comment: 26 pages; v2: referee's remarks taken into accoun

On Using Expansions to the Base of -2

This short note investigates the effects of using expansions to the base of -2. The main applications we have in mind are cryptographic protocols, where the crucial operation is computation of scalar multiples. For the recently proposed groups arising from Picard curves this leads to a saving of at least 7% for the computation of an m-fold. For more general non-hyperelliptic genus 3 curves we expect a larger speed-up.Comment: 5 page

The geometry of some parameterizations and encodings

We explore parameterizations by radicals of low genera algebraic curves. We prove that for $q$ a prime power that is large enough and prime to $6$, a fixed positive proportion of all genus 2 curves over the field with $q$ elements can be parameterized by $3$-radicals. This results in the existence of a deterministic encoding into these curves when $q$ is congruent to $2$ modulo $3$. We extend this construction to parameterizations by $\ell$-radicals for small odd integers $\ell$, and make it explicit for $\ell=5$

The arithmetic of Prym varieties in genus 3

Given a curve of genus 3 with an unramified double cover, we give an explicit description of the associated Prym-variety. We also describe how an unramified double cover of a non-hyperelliptic genus 3 curve can be mapped into the Jacobian of a curve of genus 2 over its field of definition and how this can be used to do Chabauty- and Brauer-Manin type calculations for curves of genus 5 with an unramified involution. As an application, we determine the rational points on a smooth plane quartic with no particular geometric properties and give examples of curves of genus 3 and 5 violating the Hasse-principle. We also show how these constructions can be used to design smooth plane quartics with specific arithmetic properties. As an example, we give a smooth plane quartic with all 28 bitangents defined over Q(t).Comment: 21 page

Generalised Elliptic Functions

We consider multiply periodic functions, sometimes called Abelian functions, defined with respect to the period matrices associated with classes of algebraic curves. We realise them as generalisations of the Weierstras P-function using two different approaches. These functions arise naturally as solutions to some of the important equations of mathematical physics and their differential equations, addition formulae, and applications have all been recent topics of study. The first approach discussed sees the functions defined as logarithmic derivatives of the sigma-function, a modified Riemann theta-function. We can make use of known properties of the sigma function to derive power series expansions and in turn the properties mentioned above. This approach has been extended to a wide range of non hyperelliptic and higher genus curves and an overview of recent results is given. The second approach defines the functions algebraically, after first modifying the curve into its equivariant form. This approach allows the use of representation theory to derive a range of results at lower computational cost. We discuss the development of this theory for hyperelliptic curves and how it may be extended in the future.Comment: 16 page