Divisor class group and Picard group of a smooth curve Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
For a smooth irreducible algebraic curve, send a divisor on an algebraic curve to the line bundle associated to a divisor defined locally by . A nonzero rational section of a line bundle gives its inverse construction, and changing that section changes its divisor by a principal divisor. Thus the divisor class group is the Picard group. The quotient of the sheaf of nonzero rational functions on an irreducible variety by the sheaf of units of the structure sheaf has stalk at each closed point, via the discrete valuation. Its global sections are finite sums of points. The corresponding long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology, and the vanishing for the rational-function sheaf, identify both groups with .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 iii Paper 21 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
An isogeny of elliptic curves over is a nonconstant morphism defined over and preserving the identity. Such a morphism is a group homomorphism: apply the Mumford rigidity lemma to , 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 has a dual isogeny satisfying and .
Pointwise addition and negation make the homomorphism group of elliptic curves 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 and otherwise. We prove the positive definiteness of degree on elliptic-curve homomorphisms, including arbitrary characteristic.
Let , a line bundle associated to a divisor of degree one. On write , and let be the projections. The divisor proof of the degree parallelogram law givesHere is a direct justification. The degree-two Weierstrass coordinate has a double pole at , and precisely when or . Consequentlywhere is the diagonal and the graph of negation. Since and , 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 , 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 and take degrees of line bundles. For a nonzero map, ; 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 , where that function can vanish identically. Negation preserves degree, so . Applying the parallelogram identity to and gives the quadratic degree recursion for elliptic multiplication, and induction from yields for every integer .
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 , and symmetry proves additivity in the other argument. Also . Therefore is an integer-valued quadratic form. The integral polarization is ; itself may be half-integral.
Finally for every nonzero , since an isogeny has positive finite degree. If with , the identity forces , so is a torsion-free abelian group. On any finite-dimensional rational span in , 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 , ; 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.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 14 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a divisor on an algebraic curve , define its line bundle associated to a divisor inside the sheaf of rational functions byLocally choose a rational equation for , as in the construction of the quotient sheaf above. ThenConsequently this is an invertible sheaf. Multiplication gives an isomorphismas is checked on the displayed local generators. If , multiplication by identifies with . Thus induces a group homomorphism from the divisor class group to the Picard group.
For surjectivity, let be an invertible sheaf. Trivialize its one-dimensional rational fibre over the function field ; equivalently, choose a nonzero rational section and identify with a subsheaf of the rational-function sheaf. A finite trivializing cover givesOn overlaps is a regular unit. The integers therefore agree wherever two descriptions apply and define a finite divisor on an algebraic curve . Its local description gives . A different rational trivialization multiplies all by the same rational function, changing by a principal divisor, so the resulting divisor class is intrinsic.
For injectivity, an isomorphism becomes multiplication by some on the rational fibre. At each closed point its effect on the local free generators givesHence . Conversely this equality gives the required isomorphism by multiplication by . We have proved the group isomorphism
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 113 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
First consider the preliminary cohomological facts. The exam's term flabby means flasque sheaf: every restriction map is surjective. For open sets , lift a section of to using the given surjectivity when is flasque. Extend that lift to using the flasque sheaf , then project to . This proves that is a flasque sheaf.
One construction of a flasque resolution starts with the sheaf , with pointwise restriction. It is a sheaf of abelian groups with surjective restrictions, and sending a section to all its germs embeds in it. Repeating on the cokernels constructs an exact sequencewith each flasque. Define sheaf cohomology by the cohomology of the cochain complex of global sections of such a resolution; the groups are independent of the chosen flasque resolution. If is itself flasque, the quotient result just proved makes every successive cokernel flasque. Applying the assumed surjectivity of sections to each successive short exact sequence of sheaves proves exactness of the global-section complex in positive degrees. Thus for .
Now let be the function field of the smooth algebraic curve. Its divisor class group isHere is the discrete valuation of the discrete valuation ring , and consists of the principal divisor elements . These sums have finite support: on a finite affine cover, represent as a fraction of regular functions; each nonzero numerator or denominator has only finitely many zeros on a curve, since a proper closed subset of a Noetherian one-dimensional irreducible space is finite.
For a divisor on an algebraic curve , define the line bundle associated to a divisor byIn this expression the valuation condition applies to nonzero . If is a uniformizer, the stalk is . Shrinking around removes all other zeros and poles of and all other points in the support of , so this also gives an actual local generator. Thus is a locally free sheaf of rank one. Multiplication gives an isomorphismon every stalk. If , then , so the construction factors through a homomorphism .
It is injective: if is trivial, an isomorphism from supplies a nonzero global rational generator . At each closed point, generates , giving , hence .
It is surjective: take a line bundle and a nonzero rational section , obtained by choosing a frame on any nonempty trivializing open set. If is a local frame, write with . Since changes of frame are units, is independent of the frame near . A finite trivializing cover shows that these numbers have finite support. Set . The map gives , because at the condition is exactly regularity of . Replacing by changes by , so this construction is well defined on classes. This proves the divisor class group and Picard group of a smooth curve identification
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 iii Paper 113 2 b Solution 2026-09-28
Cover byThese sets cover because a point of has . On , the relation shows that has local equation ; on , the relation gives local equation ; and on its local equation is . Thus is a Cartier divisor.
For the line bundle associated to a divisor , choose local framesThe transition functions areon the corresponding overlaps. Every displayed ratio is a unit in a ring in the corresponding ring of regular functions, and the Čech cocycle condition follows immediately.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 iii Paper 113 2 c Solution 2026-09-28
The two pairs of regular functionsdefine maps to the projective line on the loci where their respective coordinates do not vanish simultaneously. Those loci cover , since simultaneous failure would force . On their overlap the equation says that the two projective points are equal. They therefore glue to a morphism
Let be the homogeneous coordinates on . The pullback of the hyperplane divisor has local equation on the first chart and on the second. It is therefore exactly . Compatibility of the pullback of a sheaf of modules with the line bundle associated to a divisor givesThis is the ruling morphism of the punctured three-dimensional affine quadric cone associated with .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 118 3 Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Choose holomorphic coordinates centered at . Locally, the blowup of a complex manifold at a point iswith ; away from this is an isomorphism, so it glues to . The exceptional divisor is .
The proper transform is the closure of . If , it is isomorphic to . If , the holomorphic implicit function theorem supplies coordinates in which . In the blowup chart with and for , every chart with describes the proper transform by , while the chart does not meet it. These are smooth coordinate hypersurfaces, so is smooth.
For a divisor , the line bundle associated to a divisor consists locally of meromorphic functions such that . Pulling back a local defining function for shows that its divisor iswhere is the order of vanishing at of a local defining function for . ThereforeBecause is smooth, when and when .
Applying the definition with gives directlyThe map sends a section to its local meromorphic coefficient relative to the canonical meromorphic section of ; the divisor inequality is exactly the condition that these coefficients define a holomorphic section, and the inverse construction is local multiplication by that canonical section.