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An isogeny of elliptic curves over $k$ is a nonconstant morphism $\varphi :E_1\to E_2$ defined over $k$ and preserving the identity. Such a morphism is a group homomorphism: apply the Mumford rigidity lemma to $\varphi (P+Q)-\varphi (P)-\varphi (Q)$, whose restriction to either coordinate axis is zero. A nonconstant morphism of smooth projective curves is finite and surjective, so its degree of an isogeny is the positive integerDegrees multiply under composition. A separable isogeny has degree equal to the number of geometric points in its kernel of an isogeny. In positive characteristic of a field, inseparable isogenies also occur, for example the Frobenius isogeny; their total degree includes inseparable multiplicity, so counting geometric kernel points alone is insufficient. Every isogeny of degree $d$ has a dual isogeny $\hat{\varphi }$ satisfying $\hat{\varphi }\varphi =[d]$ and $\varphi \hat{\varphi }=[d]$.

Pointwise addition and negation make the homomorphism group of elliptic curves $H={\mathrm{Hom}}_k(E_1,E_2)$ an abelian group. Its zero is the constant identity map; every other element is an isogeny, because its nonconstant image is the whole target curve. Define $q(0)=0$ and $q(\varphi )=\mathrm{deg}\varphi$ otherwise. We prove the positive definiteness of degree on elliptic-curve homomorphisms, including arbitrary characteristic.

Let $L={\mathcal{O}}_{E_2}(O)$, a line bundle associated to a divisor of degree one. On $E_2\times E_2$ write $m(P,Q)=P+Q$, $d(P,Q)=P-Q$ and let ${\pi }_i$ be the projections. The divisor proof of the degree parallelogram law givesHere is a direct justification. The degree-two Weierstrass coordinate $x$ has a double pole at $O$, and $x(P)=x(Q)$ precisely when $Q=P$ or $Q=-P$. Consequentlywhere $D_{+}$ is the diagonal and $D_{-}$ the graph of negation. Since $D_{+}=d^{-1}(O)$ and $D_{-}=m^{-1}(O)$, this principal divisor gives the displayed line bundle identity. This remains valid in characteristic two: the general Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve of a smooth algebraic curve has a nontrivial generic involution $(x,y)\mapsto (x,-y-a_{1}x-a_3)$, so the two graphs still occur. This identity is also the symmetric-line-bundle form of the Theorem of the square.

Pull back the bundle identity along $(\varphi ,\psi ):E_1\to E_2\times E_2$ and take degrees of line bundles. For a nonzero map, $\mathrm{deg}({\varphi }^{\ast }L)=q(\varphi )$; for a zero map its pullback is trivial and has degree zero. Thus the degree parallelogram law isUsing bundles rather than pulling back the rational function itself is essential when $\varphi =\pm \psi$, where that function can vanish identically. Negation preserves degree, so $q(-\varphi )=q(\varphi )$. Applying the parallelogram identity to $n\varphi$ and $\varphi$ gives the quadratic degree recursion for elliptic multiplication, and induction from $q(0)=0$ yields $q(n\varphi )=n^{2}q(\varphi )$ for every integer $n$.

Define the bilinear degree pairing for elliptic-curve homomorphisms byIt is symmetric and odd in each argument. Two applications of the parallelogram law giveAdding proves $B(x+z,y)=B(x,y)+B(z,y)$, and symmetry proves additivity in the other argument. Also $B(\varphi ,\varphi )=q(\varphi )$. Therefore $q$ is an integer-valued quadratic form. The integral polarization is $2B(\varphi ,\psi )=q(\varphi +\psi )-q(\varphi )-q(\psi )$; $B$ itself may be half-integral.

Finally $q(\varphi )>0$ for every nonzero $\varphi$, since an isogeny has positive finite degree. If $n\varphi =0$ with $n\ne 0$, the identity $q(n\varphi )=n^{2}q(\varphi )$ forces $\varphi =0$, so $H$ is a torsion-free abelian group. On any finite-dimensional rational span in $H\otimes \mathbb{Q}$, the pairing has a rational matrix and is positive on every nonzero rational vector. By density it is nonnegative on real vectors; if that rational matrix were singular, its kernel would contain a nonzero rational vector, contradicting strict positivity. Thus its real extension is a positive-definite quadratic form. This establishes the required positivity as well as the quadratic identity. For example, on the subgroup of multiplication maps $[n]$, $q([n])=n^2$; on the endomorphism ring of an elliptic curve with complex multiplication it is the imaginary-quadratic field norm, explaining the lattice geometry behind isogeny degrees.

Write $N=\#E({\mathbb{F}}_q)$. The Hasse bound isWe prove it using isogeny degrees of endomorphisms, with no assumption about a pre-existing Frobenius eigenvalue estimate. The standard elliptic isogeny facts we use are these: isogeny degree is multiplicative under composition; $\mathrm{deg}[m]=m^2$; assigning isogeny degree zero to the zero homomorphism makes isogeny degree a quadratic form, satisfying the degree parallelogram law; and the isogeny degree of a separable isogeny equals the number of its geometric kernel of an isogeny points.

Let $\varphi$ be the $q$-power Frobenius isogeny. It has isogeny degree $q$ and zero differential. Therefore $1-\varphi$ has differential the identity and is a separable isogeny. Its kernel of an isogeny consists exactly of the points fixed by Frobenius, including the identity, soPut $t=q+1-N$. Polarization of the isogeny degree quadratic form gives, for all integers $m,n$,The cross coefficient is fixed by the case $m=n=1$, where the isogeny degree is $N=1-t+q$; the coefficients of $m^2,n^2$ are $\mathrm{deg}1=1$ and $\mathrm{deg}\varphi =q$.

Every isogeny degree is nonnegative. For $n\ne 0$, divide by $n^2$ to obtain $u^2-tu+q\ge 0$ for every rational $u=m/n$. Continuity and density of the rationals imply the same inequality for real $u$. Its minimum, attained at $u=t/2$, is $q-t^2/4$, so $t^2\le 4q$. This is precisely the stated bound. Equality is allowed; a zero value of the quadratic form can occur when the two endomorphisms involved are rationally dependent.

Fix a separable closure $k^s$. The Tate module and rational Tate module arewhere the transition maps are multiplication by $\ell$. Since $\ell$ is different from the characteristic, $E[{\ell }^n](k^s)\simeq (\mathbb{Z}/{\ell }^n{)}^2$ and these transition maps are surjective. Choosing compatible bases gives $T_{\ell }(E)\simeq {\mathbb{Z}}_{\ell }^2$, and $T_{\ell }(E)/{\ell }^n{T}_{\ell }(E)\simeq E[{\ell }^n]$. Both spaces carry the natural continuous action of the absolute Galois group of $k$ and of the base-defined endomorphism ring of an elliptic curve.

For (i), choose a nonrational $a\in R$. Such an element exists because the intersection of the given two-dimensional rational subalgebra with the integral endomorphism ring contains a full lattice. The characteristic equation of an elliptic endomorphism isSince $a\in K$ is nonrational, its minimal polynomial over $\mathbb{Q}$ has degree two. Comparing the two monic equations gives $\mathrm{tr}(a)=a+\bar{a}$ and $\mathrm{deg}(a)=a\bar{a}$. The same is the characteristic polynomial on the rational Tate module: the Weil pairing gives determinant $\mathrm{deg}(a)$, and applying it to $1-a$ gives trace $1+\mathrm{deg}(a)-\mathrm{deg}(1-a)$. Thus on $V_{\ell }(E)$ the characteristic polynomial isIf $K_{\ell }$ is a quadratic field over ${\mathbb{Q}}_{\ell }$, a unital $K_{\ell }$-action on this two-dimensional ${\mathbb{Q}}_{\ell }$-space makes it a one-dimensional $K_{\ell }$-space. If $K_{\ell }\simeq {\mathbb{Q}}_{\ell }\times {\mathbb{Q}}_{\ell }$, the two roots above are distinct in ${\mathbb{Q}}_{\ell }$ and their eigenspaces each have dimension one. The two idempotent factors therefore have equal rank one, so the module is again free of rank one. This also proves faithfulness in the split case. Hence

For (ii), first prove an integral divisibility statement. If $a\in R$ maps $T_{\ell }(E)$ into ${\ell }^n{T}_{\ell }(E)$, then its induced action on $E[{\ell }^n]$ is zero. The kernel of an isogeny of $[{\ell }^n]$ is therefore contained in the kernel of $a$. The quotient property of this isogeny of elliptic curves gives a unique endomorphism $b$ withThis factorization is defined over $k$: applying any descent automorphism preserves it, and uniqueness fixes $b$. Inside the rational endomorphism ring, $b=a/{\ell }^n$ belongs to $K$, so $b\in R$. ConsequentlyHere the prime-to-characteristic torsion is étale, so vanishing on its geometric points is vanishing on the entire kernel scheme.

Every element of $R_{\ell }$ preserves the Tate module by continuity. Conversely suppose $\varphi \in K_{\ell }$ preserves it. Choose $n\ge 0$ with ${\ell }^n\varphi \in R_{\ell }$, and approximate it by $a\in R$ modulo ${\ell }^n{R}_{\ell }$. Write ${\ell }^n\varphi =a+{\ell }^{n}c$ with $c\in R_{\ell }$. Then $a{T}_{\ell }(E)\subseteq {\ell }^n{T}_{\ell }(E)$, so the divisibility statement gives $a/{\ell }^n\in R$. It follows that $\varphi =a/{\ell }^n+c\in R_{\ell }$. Thus the CM Tate module stabilizer isThis does not presume freeness of the integral Tate module over a nonmaximal order.

For (iii), every element of $R$ is defined over $k$, so the Galois representation commutes with $R$ and therefore with $K_{\ell }$. By (i), its action on $V_{\ell }(E)$ is multiplication by an element of $K_{\ell }^{\times }$. The action and its inverse preserve $T_{\ell }(E)$; by (ii), this scalar and its inverse belong to $R_{\ell }$. Hence

Work in characteristic different from two, as in the number-field application below. Nonsingularity is equivalent to $b(a^2-4b)\ne 0$. The chord through $P=(x,y)$ and $T=(0,0)$ has slope $y/x$. Using $y^2/x^2=x+a+b/x$ in the elliptic-curve addition formula givesThese formulas hold for $P\ne O,T$; addition interchanges $O$ and $T$.

It follows that $\xi =x+a+b/x=y^2/x^2$ and $\eta =y(1-b/x^2)$. The relation isFor a direct verification, observe thatTherefore the two-isogeny formula isThe target elliptic curve is nonsingular because its corresponding coefficient product is $16b(a^2-4b)\ne 0$. The rational map of projective varieties extends over the exceptional points to a morphism of smooth projective algebraic curves; at both $O$ and $T$ its affine coordinates tend to infinity, giving the displayed values. A nonconstant morphism between elliptic curves sending $O$ to $O$ is a group homomorphism, so this is an isogeny of elliptic curves.

One can also see the quotient directly: translation by $T$ leaves $\xi ,\eta$ invariant. The equation $x^2+(a-\xi )x+b=0$ makes the source function field a degree-two extension of the target function field; its nontrivial automorphism is translation by $T$. Equivalently, the degree of an isogeny from its x-coordinate map is two. The kernel of an isogeny is precisely $\{O,T\}$. Thus $\varphi$ is a separable isogeny of degree two.

For a nonzero isogeny of elliptic curves $\varphi :E_1\to E_2$, its degree of an isogeny is the degree of the induced extension of function fields. Since $\varphi$ commutes with negation, its first coordinate is a rational function of $x_1$ alone. Write it in lowest terms asThe coordinate maps $x_i:E_i\to {\mathbb{P}}^1$ are finite morphisms of degree two. Multiplying function field degrees in the commutative diagram $x_2\circ \varphi =R\circ x_1$ gives the degree of an isogeny from its x-coordinate map:This is the total degree, so the argument also covers an inseparable isogeny of elliptic curves. Counting distinct points in the kernel of an isogeny would give only its separable degree. The zero group homomorphism is assigned degree zero separately.

On a Short Weierstrass form $y^2=x^3+ax+b$ in characteristic of a field other than two, the elliptic-curve addition formula givesThere is no cancellation: at a root $r$ of $f(x)=x^3+ax+b$, the numerator equals $f^{\prime }(r{)}^2$, which is nonzero because the elliptic-curve discriminant is nonzero. The numerator has degree four and the denominator degree three. HenceFor completeness, the same answer holds in characteristic two, where the displayed short equation is not a nonsingular model. On a general Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve usewhere $b_2=a_1^2+4a_2$, $b_4=a_1{a}_3+2a_4$, $b_6=a_3^2+4a_6$, and $b_8=a_1^2{a}_6+4a_2{a}_6-a_1{a}_3{a}_4+a_2{a}_3^2-a_4^2$. The resultant of this numerator and denominator is ${\Delta }^2$. Their resultant is therefore nonzero in every nonsingular case; even when the denominator drops degree, the numerator retains degree four.

Let $\pi$ be the Frobenius isogeny and let $a=p+1-N$ be its Trace of Frobenius. Its characteristic equation is ${\pi }^2-[a]\pi +[p]=0$, so the trace of the square of an elliptic-curve endomorphism is $a^2-2p$. The elliptic-curve point count over a finite field therefore givesThe prime-square point-count formula is consequentlyOne can also obtain it directly from the degree of an isogeny: the maps $1-\pi$ and $1+\pi$ are separable isogenies, with degrees $p+1-a$ and $p+1+a$. Their composition is $1-{\pi }^2$, whose kernel of an isogeny is exactly $E({\mathbb{F}}_{p^2})$. Multiplicativity of degree gives the same product.