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Galois cohomology and finite quotients. Let $k$ be a number field and $G_k=\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{k}/k)$ its absolute Galois group. For a discrete abelian $G_k$-module $M$, $H^0(k,M)=M^{G_k}$. A continuous 1-cocycle is a map $c:G_k\to M$ with $c_{\sigma \tau }=c_{\sigma }+\sigma c_{\tau }$; a coboundary has the form $c_{\sigma }=\sigma m-m$. Their quotient is $H^1(k,M)$. Short exact sequences of modules give the long exact sequence in group cohomology; the connecting map measures the obstruction to lifting a fixed element to a fixed preimage. This interpretation gives a concrete descent map for an elliptic curve.

For an integer $m\ge 2$, multiplication on the geometric points gives the exact sequenceHere multiplication is a separable isogeny in characteristic zero, with $m^2$ geometric kernel points. For $P\in E(k)$ choose $Q$ with $mQ=P$. Then $c_{\sigma }=\sigma Q-Q$ lies in $E[m]$, satisfies the cocycle identity, and changing $Q$ changes it by a coboundary. Its class $\delta (P)$ vanishes exactly when $P\in mE(k)$: if $c_{\sigma }=\sigma T-T$ for $T\in E[m]$, the point $Q-T$ is rational and divides $P$. Thus the Kummer exact sequence of an elliptic curve includesThe construction also proves that $\delta$ is a homomorphism. The final group can be interpreted as classes of elliptic-curve torsors killed by $m$; imposing soluble completions leads to the Selmer group of an elliptic curve. For weak Mordell-Weil, the important task is to bound the arithmetic image of $\delta$, not to assume that the entire first cohomology group is finite.

Choose a finite set $S$ containing the bad primes, primes dividing $m$, and archimedean places. At a good finite place $v\notin S$, the class $\delta (P)$ is unramified. Here is the local reason. Over a finite extension of the residue field choose an $m$-division point of the reduction of $P$; multiplication is surjective on the points over its algebraic closure. Pass to the corresponding unramified extension of $k_v$ and lift this nonsingular point by the Hensel lemma. The discrepancy between $m$ times its lift and $P$ lies in the kernel of reduction. The formal group of an elliptic curve describes that kernel, and multiplication by $m$ is bijective there because its leading coefficient is a unit. Correcting the lift therefore gives an actual division point in the unramified closure. Inertia fixes that point, so the Kummer cocycle vanishes on inertia. The same good-reduction argument shows that $E[m]$ itself is unramified outside $S$.

We now prove the required finiteness of unramified cohomology classes. Choose a finite Galois extension $L/k$ over which $E[m]$ and the $m$th roots of unity are all rational, and enlarge $S$ to include its ramified primes. The inflation-restriction exact sequence shows that restriction to $G_L$ has finite kernel: that kernel comes from $H^1(\mathrm{Gal}(L/k),E[m])$, a finite group since both its group and coefficient module are finite. Over $L$, a choice of basis identifies $E[m]$ with ${\mu }_m^2$. The multiplicative Kummer sequence, together with Hilbert 90, givesFor clarity, Hilbert 90 says that a multiplicative cocycle for a finite Galois extension is a coboundary. If its values are $c_{\sigma }$, choose $a$ so that $b={\sum }_{\sigma }{c}_{\sigma }\sigma (a)\ne 0$. Then $\tau (b)=c_{\tau }^{-1}b$, so $c_{\tau }=\tau (b^{-1})/b^{-1}$. Such an $a$ exists because distinct field automorphisms are linearly independent: a relation with the fewest nonzero terms, evaluated on $at$ and compared with its value on $t$ multiplied by one automorphism's value on $a$, would produce a shorter nonzero relation. Continuity reduces the absolute-Galois version to a finite extension. This proves the cohomological vanishing used in the multiplicative Kummer sequence.

An unramified Kummer class represented by $a\in L^{\times }$ has $v_w(a)\equiv 0(\mathrm{mod}m)$ at every finite $w\notin S_L$. Indeed an $m$th root of $a$ fixed by inertia belongs to an unramified local extension, whose value group is still the integers. DefineFactoring the fractional ideal away from $S_L$ as an $m$th power gives the exact sequenceTo check it, send $[a]$ to the ideal class of its $m$th root ideal. Changing $a$ by an $m$th power changes that ideal by a principal ideal. The kernel consists precisely of S-units modulo $m$th powers, and every $m$-torsion ideal class has a representative whose $m$th power is principal, proving surjectivity. The S-unit group is finitely generated by the Dirichlet unit theorem and the finite collection of allowed prime valuations. The localized ideal class group is a quotient of the finite ordinary ideal class group. Both end groups, and hence $L(S_L,m)$, are finite. This is the finiteness of S-unramified Kummer classes argument.

The restrictions of the elliptic Kummer image lie in two copies of this finite group, and the restriction kernel is finite. The injection $\delta$ therefore provesThis is the Weak Mordell-Weil theorem. The unramified restriction is essential: even $H^1(k,{\mu }_2)=k^{\times }/k^{\times 2}$ is generally infinite. Cohomology turns divisibility into a cocycle; good reduction restricts its ramification; units and ideal classes supply the arithmetic finiteness.

Height functions and finite generation. Write $d=[k:\mathbb{Q}]$ and use absolute values extending the usual rational ones, with local degrees $n_v=[k_v:{\mathbb{Q}}_v]$. The logarithmic height of a projective pair isThe product formula makes it independent of scaling. For $t\in k$, $h(t)=h(t:1)$ is nonnegative. On a short Weierstrass equation $E:y^2=x^3+Ax+B$, put $h_x(P)=h(x(P))$ and $h_x(O)=0$.

Bounded height gives only finitely many rational points. To see the scalar finiteness behind the Northcott theorem, an algebraic number $t$ of degree $e$ has primitive minimal polynomial $a_0{\prod }_{i=1}^e(T-t_i)$, and the product formula gives $e^{eh(t)}=|a_0|{\prod }_i\max (1,|t_i|)$. If $e\le d$ and $h(t)\le H$, every coefficient has absolute value at most $2^d{e}^{dH}$. There are only finitely many such integer polynomials and hence finitely many roots. Each x-coordinate lifts to at most two points of $E$, with $O$ handled separately. Thus $\{P\in E(k):h_x(P)\le H\}$ is finite.

The second ingredient is height expansion under doubling:Indeed the duplication formula is the degree-four morphism of the projective x-line represented by the coprime quartic formsThey are coprime because the elliptic curve is nonsingular. At each place their coefficient bounds give $\max (|F{|}_v,|G{|}_v)\le C_v\max (|X{|}_v,|Z{|}_v{)}^4$. Bezout identities expressing powers of each coordinate as combinations of $F,G$ give the reverse inequality up to another local constant. One obtains these identities by the Euclidean algorithm on the two affine charts and clearing denominators. Only finitely many non-Archimedean places have a constant different from one. Taking weighted logarithms and summing proves the uniform bounded error. This is height growth under a morphism of the projective line, applied with degree four.

For a fixed $R=(r,s)\in E(k)$, the addition formula also givesFor $x(P)\ne r$, its x-coordinate isThe curve equation bounds $|y{|}_v$ by a local constant times $\max (1,|x{|}_v{)}^{3/2}$. Both numerator and denominator are consequently bounded by a local constant times $\max (1,|x{|}_v{)}^2$. The projective-height definition gives the claimed inequality; the finitely many exceptional points with $x=r$ are absorbed into the constant. For $R=O$ the estimate is immediate.

By weak Mordell-Weil, choose finitely many representatives $R_1,\dots ,R_t$ for $E(k)/2E(k)$. Every $P$ can be written $P=2Q+R_i$. Combining the last two inequalities giveswith one constant $C_0\ge 0$ for all the representatives. This is naive height contraction in elliptic halving descent. If $h_x(P)>2C_0+1$, the new point $Q$ has height at least one half less than that of $P$. Repetition must therefore reach the finite set of points of height at most $2C_0+1$. Reversing the identities $P_j=2P_{j+1}+R_{i_j}$ shows that every point is generated by this finite terminal set together with the finite list of representatives. ThusThe structure theorem then gives $E(k)\cong E(k{)}_{\mathrm{tors}}\times {\mathbb{Z}}^r$ with finite torsion subgroup: this is the Mordell-Weil theorem. Finiteness modulo two alone does not imply finite generation; the contracting height argument is what bridges that gap.

The bounded duplication error also constructs the canonical height of an elliptic curve:The successive differences are bounded by a summable geometric sequence, so the limit exists, $\hat{h}(P)=\frac{1}{2}{h}_x(P)+O_E(1)$, and $\hat{h}(2P)=4\hat{h}(P)$. It is nonnegative. Torsion points have canonical height zero because their multiples form a finite set. Conversely, if the canonical height is zero, all $2^{j}P$ have bounded naive height; Northcott finiteness makes two of them equal and hence makes $P$ torsion. The canonical height removes the bounded error from the arithmetic growth law and identifies exactly the torsion directions, while the elementary naive-height descent already proves finite generation.