Let E be an elliptic curve without complex multiplication (CM) over a number field K, and let G_E(ell) be the image of the Galois representation induced by the action of the absolute Galois group of K on the ell-torsion subgroup of E. We present two probabilistic algorithms to simultaneously determine G_E(ell) up to local conjugacy for all primes ell by sampling images of Frobenius elements; one is of Las Vegas type and the other is a Monte Carlo algorithm. They determine G_E(ell) up to one of at most two isomorphic conjugacy classes of subgroups of GL_2(Z/ell Z) that have the same semisimplification, each of which occurs for an elliptic curve isogenous to E. Under the GRH, their running times are polynomial in the bit-size n of an integral Weierstrass equation for E, and for our Monte Carlo algorithm, quasi-linear in n. We have applied our algorithms to the non-CM elliptic curves in Cremonas tables and the Stein--Watkins database, some 140 million curves of conductor up to 10^10, thereby obtaining a conjecturally complete list of 63 exceptional Galois images G_E(ell) that arise for E/Q without CM. Under this conjecture we determine a complete list of 160 exceptional Galois images G_E(ell) the arise for non-CM elliptic curves over quadratic fields with rational j-invariants. We also give examples of exceptional Galois images that arise for non-CM elliptic curves over quadratic fields only when the j-invariant is irrational.
We consider the distribution of normalized Frobenius traces for two families of genus 3 hyperelliptic curves over Q that have large automorphism groups: y^2=x^8+c and y^2=x^7-cx with c in Q*. We give efficient algorithms to compute the trace of Frobenius for curves in these families at primes of good reduction. Using data generated by these algorithms, we obtain a heuristic description of the Sato-Tate groups that arise, both generically and for particular values of c. We then prove that these heuristic descriptions are correct by explicitly computing the Sato-Tate groups via the correspondence between Sato-Tate groups and Galois endomorphism types.
We present an algorithm that computes the Hasse-Witt matrix of given hyperelliptic curve over Q at all primes of good reduction up to a given bound N. It is simpler and faster than the previous algorithm developed by the authors.
For an elliptic curve E/Q without complex multiplication we study the distribution of Atkin and Elkies primes l, on average, over all good reductions of E modulo primes p. We show that, under the Generalised Riemann Hypothesis, for almost all primes p there are enough small Elkies primes l to ensure that the Schoof-Elkies-Atkin point-counting algorithm runs in (log p)^(4+o(1)) expected time.
We provide a framework for using elliptic curves with complex multiplication to determine the primality or compositeness of integers that lie in special sequences, in deterministic quasi-quadratic time. We use this to find large primes, including the largest prime currently known whose primality cannot feasibly be proved using classical methods.
Assuming the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis, we design a deterministic algorithm that, given a prime p and positive integer m=o(sqrt(p)/(log p)^4), outputs an elliptic curve E over the finite field F_p for which the cardinality of E(F_p) is divisible by m. The running time of the algorithm is mp^(1/2+o(1)), and this leads to more efficient constructions of rational functions over F_p whose image is small relative to p. We also give an unconditional version of the algorithm that works for almost all primes p, and give a probabilistic algorithm with subexponential time complexity.
We present an efficient algorithm to compute the Hasse-Witt matrix of a hyperelliptic curve C/Q modulo all primes of good reduction up to a given bound N, based on the average polynomial-time algorithm recently introduced by Harvey. An implementation for hyperelliptic curves of genus 2 and 3 is more than an order of magnitude faster than alternative methods for N = 2^26.
We establish the group-theoretic classification of Sato-Tate groups of self-dual motives of weight 3 with rational coefficients and Hodge numbers h^{3,0} = h^{2,1} = h^{1,2} = h^{0,3} = 1. We then describe families of motives that realize some of these Sato-Tate groups, and provide numerical evidence supporting equidistribution. One of these families arises in the middle cohomology of certain Calabi-Yau threefolds appearing in the Dwork quintic pencil; for motives in this family, our evidence suggests that the Sato-Tate group is always equal to the full unitary symplectic group USp(4).
We discuss the computation of coefficients of the L-series associated to a hyperelliptic curve over Q of genus at most 3, using point counting, generic group algorithms, and p-adic methods.
We present a generic algorithm for computing discrete logarithms in a finite abelian p-group H, improving the Pohlig-Hellman algorithm and its generalization to noncyclic groups by Teske. We then give a direct method to compute a basis for H without using a relation matrix. The problem of computing a basis for some or all of the Sylow p-subgroups of an arbitrary finite abelian group G is addressed, yielding a Monte Carlo algorithm to compute the structure of G using O(|G|^0.5) group operations. These results also improve generic algorithms for extracting pth roots in G.
