Past exam of the geometry course of the University of Oxford / 2010 / B / 6

First record the unlettered definitions. A divisor on an algebraic curve on a compact Riemann surface is a finite formal sum $D={\sum }_p{n}_p[p]$ with $n_p\in \mathbb{Z}$. Its degree is $\mathrm{deg}D={\sum }_p{n}_p$. A principal divisor is $(f)={\sum }_p{\mathrm{ord}}_p(f)[p]$ for a nonzero meromorphic function, with positive order at a zero and negative order at a pole. Two divisors are linearly equivalent if their difference is principal. Principal divisors form a subgroup because $(fg)=(f)+(g)$ and $(1/f)=-(f)$.

For the doubly periodic function, put $h=f^{\prime }/f$. It is periodic with the same period lattice, and its residue at $p_i$ equals $n_i$. Opposite sides of the fundamental parallelogram are translates by a period with opposite directions, so their integrals of $h$ cancel. The residue theorem givesThusIn particular an elliptic function has equally many zeros and poles counted with multiplicity in a period cell.

Order the period lattice basis so the indicated contour is positively oriented; reversing its orientation only changes the signs of the resulting integers. SetPairing the translated sides while retaining the factor $w$ givesFor example, the right side is the translate by ${\lambda }_1$ of the left side with reversed orientation; their combined contribution is ${\lambda }_{1}B$. The bottom and top similarly give $-{\lambda }_{2}A$.

Along either path there is a continuously continued logarithm of the nonzero finite function $f$. Since its endpoint values agree by periodicity, each logarithmic increment is an integer multiple of $2\pi i$. Therefore $A=2\pi ir$, $B=2\pi is$ for integers $r,s$. The residue theorem applied to $wh$ now yieldsThis is the elliptic divisor-sum identity.

For a divisor on an algebraic curve $D={\sum }_j{n}_j[p_j+\Lambda ]$, defineChanging the representatives $p_j$ changes the second coordinate only by an element of $\Lambda$. The two preceding contour arguments show that a principal divisor has degree zero and period lattice sum zero. Thus the formula is unchanged by linear equivalence of divisors and is a well-defined group homomorphism on the quotient.

It is nontrivial, since $[0]$ maps to $(1,0+\Lambda )$. In fact it is surjective: for any $d\in \mathbb{Z}$ and $z+\Lambda \in \mathbb{C}/\Lambda$, the divisor on an algebraic curve $(d-1)[0]+[z+\Lambda ]$ maps to $(d,z+\Lambda )$. Only well-definedness and a nontrivial homomorphism are required here; identifying its entire kernel would be an additional theorem.

Set $g(w)=a\wp (w)+b{\wp }^{\prime }(w)+c$. The Weierstrass elliptic function is doubly periodic, with a double pole at the origin modulo $\Lambda$ and no other poles. Its derivative has leading term $-2w^{-3}$. Since $b\ne 0$, no lower-order term cancels this, so $g$ has a pole of order exactly three at zero and no others.

The point $\Phi (0+\Lambda )=[0,1,0]$ does not lie on the line, because its line equation evaluates to $b\ne 0$. At every other point of the image, lying on the line is equivalent to $g(w)=0$. The three distinct image points therefore yield three distinct zeros modulo $\Lambda$. By the zero-pole count, these are all the zeros and each is simple. Hence its principal divisor on the torus isApplying the elliptic divisor-sum identity givesThis is the period lattice form of the chord-and-tangent group law on an elliptic cubic.