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2006 Heuristics for the Brauer--Manin Obstruction for Curves
Bjorn Poonen
Experiment. Math. 15(4): 415-420 (2006).

Abstract

We conjecture that if $C$ is a curve of genus $>1$ over a number field $k$ such that $C(k)=\emptyset$, then a method of Scharaschkin (essentially equivalent to the Brauer--Manin obstruction in the context of curves) supplies a proof that $C(k)=\emptyset$. As evidence, we prove a corresponding statement in which $C(\F_v)$ is replaced by a random subset of the same size in $J(\F_v)$ for each residue field $\F_v$ at a place $v$ of good reduction for $C$, and the orders of Jacobians over finite fields are assumed to be smooth (in the sense of having only small prime divisors) as often as random integers of the same size. If our conjecture holds, and if Tate--Shafarevich groups are finite, then there exists an algorithm to decide whether a curve over $k$ has a $k$-point, and the Brauer--Manin obstruction to the Hasse principle for curves over the number fields is the only one.

Citation

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Bjorn Poonen. "Heuristics for the Brauer--Manin Obstruction for Curves." Experiment. Math. 15 (4) 415 - 420, 2006.

Information

Published: 2006
First available in Project Euclid: 5 April 2007

zbMATH: 1173.11040
MathSciNet: MR2293593

Subjects:
Primary: 11G30
Secondary: 11G10 , 14G05

Keywords: Brauer--Manin obstruction , Chabauty , Hasse principle , Jacobian

Rights: Copyright © 2006 A K Peters, Ltd.

Vol.15 • No. 4 • 2006
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