The Infrastructure of a Global Field of Arbitrary Unit Rank

In this paper, we show a general way to interpret the infrastructure of a global field of arbitrary unit rank. This interpretation generalizes the prior concepts of the giant step operation and f-representations, and makes it possible to relate the infrastructure to the (Arakelov) divisor class group of the global field. In the case of global function fields, we present results that establish that effective implementation of the presented methods is indeed possible, and we show how Shanks' baby-step giant-step method can be generalized to this situation.Comment: Revised version. Accepted for publication in Math. Com

Sato-Tate groups of genus 2 curves

We describe the analogue of the Sato-Tate conjecture for an abelian variety over a number field; this predicts that the zeta functions of the reductions over various finite fields, when properly normalized, have a limiting distribution predicted by a certain group-theoretic construction related to Hodge theory, Galois images, and endomorphisms. After making precise the definition of the "Sato-Tate group" appearing in this conjecture, we describe the classification of Sato-Tate groups of abelian surfaces due to Fite-Kedlaya-Rotger-Sutherland. (These are notes from a three-lecture series presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute "Arithmetic of Hyperelliptic Curves" held in Ohrid (Macedonia) August 25-September 5, 2014, and are expected to appear in a proceedings volume.)Comment: 20 pages; includes custom class file; v2: formula of Birch correcte

Explicit root numbers of abelian varieties

The Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture predicts that the parity of the algebraic rank of an abelian variety over a global field should be controlled by the expected sign of the functional equation of its $L$-function, known as the global root number. In this paper, we give explicit formulae for the local root numbers as a product of Jacobi symbols. This enables one to compute the global root number, generalising work of Rohrlich who studies the case of elliptic curves. We provide similar formulae for the root numbers after twisting the abelian variety by a self-dual Artin representation. As an application, we find a rational genus two hyperelliptic curve with a simple Jacobian whose root number is invariant under quadratic twist.Comment: Corrected formulation of Theorem 7.4; to appear in Transactions of the AM

On the automorphisms of the non-split Cartan modular curves of prime level

We study the automorphisms of the non-split Cartan modular curves $X_{ns}(p)$ of prime level $p$. We prove that if $p\geq 37$ all the automorphisms preserve the cusps. Furthermore, if $p\equiv 1\text{ mod }12$ and $p\neq 13$, the automorphism group is generated by the modular involution given by the normalizer of a non-split Cartan subgroup of $\text{GL}_2(\mathbb F_p)$. We also prove that for every $p\geq 37$ such that $X_{ns}(p)$ has a CM rational point, the existence of an exceptional rational automorphism would give rise to an exceptional rational point on the modular curve $X_{ns}^+(p)$ associated to the normalizer of a non-split Cartan subgroup of $\text{GL}_2(\mathbb F_p)$

Groups from Cyclic Infrastructures and Pohlig-Hellman in Certain Infrastructures

In discrete logarithm based cryptography, a method by Pohlig and Hellman allows solving the discrete logarithm problem efficiently if the group order is known and has no large prime factors. The consequence is that such groups are avoided. In the past, there have been proposals for cryptography based on cyclic infrastructures. We will show that the Pohlig-Hellman method can be adapted to certain cyclic infrastructures, which similarly implies that certain infrastructures should not be used for cryptography. This generalizes a result by M\"uller, Vanstone and Zuccherato for infrastructures obtained from hyperelliptic function fields. We recall the Pohlig-Hellman method, define the concept of a cyclic infrastructure and briefly describe how to obtain such infrastructures from certain function fields of unit rank one. Then, we describe how to obtain cyclic groups from discrete cyclic infrastructures and how to apply the Pohlig-Hellman method to compute absolute distances, which is in general a computationally hard problem for cyclic infrastructures. Moreover, we give an algorithm which allows to test whether an infrastructure satisfies certain requirements needed for applying the Pohlig-Hellman method, and discuss whether the Pohlig-Hellman method is applicable in infrastructures obtained from number fields. Finally, we discuss how this influences cryptography based on cyclic infrastructures.Comment: 14 page

On the Sato-Tate conjecture for non-generic abelian surfaces

We prove many non-generic cases of the Sato-Tate conjecture for abelian surfaces as formulated by Fite, Kedlaya, Rotger and Sutherland, using the potential automorphy theorems of Barnet-Lamb, Gee, Geraghty and Taylor.Comment: 21 pages. Minor changes and corrections. With an appendix by Francesc Fit\'e. Essentially final version, to appear in Transactions of the AM