Visibility and the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture for analytic rank one

Let $E$ be an optimal elliptic curve over \Q of conductor $N$ having analytic rank one, i.e., such that the $L$-function $L_E(s)$ of $E$ vanishes to order one at $s=1$. Let $K$ be a quadratic imaginary field in which all the primes dividing $N$ split and such that the $L$-function of $E$ over $K$ vanishes to order one at $s=1$. Suppose there is another optimal elliptic curve over \Q of the same conductor $N$ whose Mordell-Weil rank is greater than one and whose associated newform is congruent to the newform associated to $E$ modulo an integer $r$. The theory of visibility then shows that under certain additional hypotheses, $r$ divides the order of the Shafarevich-Tate group of $E$ over $K$. We show that under somewhat similar hypotheses, $r$ divides the order of the Shafarevich-Tate group of $E$ over $K$. We show that under somewhat similar hypotheses, $r$ also divides the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer {\em conjectural} order of the Shafarevich-Tate group of $E$ over $K$, which provides new theoretical evidence for the second part of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture in the analytic rank one case

Empirical evidence for the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjectures for modular jacobians of genus 2 curves

This paper provides empirical evidence for the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjectures for modular Jacobians of genus 2 curves. The second of these conjectures relates six quantities associated to a Jacobian over the rational numbers. One of these six quantities is the size of the Shafarevich-Tate group. Unable to compute that, we computed the five other quantities and solved for the last one. In all 32 cases, the result is very close to an integer that is a power of 2. In addition, this power of 2 agrees with the size of the 2-torsion of the Shafarevich-Tate group, which we could compute

Constructing non-trivial elements of the Shafarevich-Tate group of an Abelian Variety over a Number Field

The second part of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer (BSD) conjecture gives a conjectural formula for the order of the Shafarevich-Tate group of an elliptic curve in terms of other computable invariants of the curve. Cremona and Mazur initiated a theory that can often be used to verify the BSD conjecture by constructing non-trivial elements of the Shafarevich-Tate group of an elliptic curve by means of the Mordell-Weil group of an ambient curve. In this paper, we generalize Cremona and Mazur's work and give precise conditions under which such a construction can be made for the Shafarevich-Tate group of an abelian variety over a number field. We then give an extension of our general result that provides new theoretical evidence for the BSD conjecture.Comment: 18 page

Explicit Methods in Number Theory

These notes contain extended abstracts on the topic of explicit methods in number theory. The range of topics included modular forms, varieties over finite fields, rational and integral points on varieties, class groups, and integer factorization

Exhibiting Sha[2] on hyperelliptic jacobians

We discuss approaches to computing in the Shafarevich-Tate group of Jacobians of higher genus curves, with an emphasis on the theory and practice of visualisation. Especially for hyperelliptic curves, this often enables the computation of ranks of Jacobians, even when the 2-Selmer bound does not bound the rank sharply. This was previously only possible for a few special cases. For curves of genus 2, we also demonstrate a connection with degree 4 del Pezzo surfaces, and show how the Brauer-Manin obstruction on these surfaces can be used to compute members of the Shafarevich-Tate group of Jacobians. We derive an explicit parametrised infinite family of genus 2 curves whose Jacobians have nontrivial members of the Sharevich-Tate group. Finally we prove that under certain conditions, the visualisation dimension for order 2 cocycles of Jacobians of certain genus 2 curves is 4 rather than the general bound of 32

Explicit Methods in Number Theory

These notes contain extended abstracts on the topic of explicit methods in number theory. The range of topics includes asymptotics for field extensions and class numbers, random matrices and L-functions, rational points on curves and higher-dimensional varieties, and aspects of lattice basis reduction