Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / iii / Paper 125 / 2

An elliptic curve has good reduction over $K$ if it admits an integral Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve with unit elliptic-curve discriminant. Equivalently, the reduction of its Minimal Weierstrass equation is a nonsingular cubic over the residue field $k$. Its smooth integral projective model is a group scheme with the point $O$ as identity.

Choose homogeneous coordinates in the valuation ring ${\mathcal{O}}_K$ with at least one coordinate a unit, and reduce them modulo its maximal ideal ${\mathfrak{m}}_K$. This defines $\mathrm{red}:E(K)\to \tilde{E}(k)$. The chord-and-tangent group law extends over the smooth integral model, so reduction is a group homomorphism. For any point of $\tilde{E}(k)$, choose an affine projective chart containing it. Smoothness means some partial derivative of its equation is nonzero in $k$. Lift the other coordinate arbitrarily and apply the Hensel lemma to the coordinate with unit derivative. This constructs a point of $E(K)$ above the prescribed point, proving the surjectivity of good reduction over a local field.

The kernel of reduction of an elliptic curve consists precisely of points reducing to $O$. The parameter $t=-x/y$ at $O$ gives a bijection between this kernel and ${\mathfrak{m}}_K$: the integral formal-coordinate series solve the equation uniquely near $O$. Addition in these coordinates is the formal group of an elliptic curve, not ordinary addition in ${\mathfrak{m}}_K$. ThusHere the group operation on the last expression is its formal group law.

In this setting a formal group law means a one-dimensional commutative series $F(X,Y)\in {\mathcal{O}}_K[[X,Y]]$ withThese identities force $F(X,Y)=X+Y+$ terms of total degree at least two. There is a unique formal inverse $i_F(T)=-T+O(T^2)$ with $F(T,i_F(T))=0$.

A morphism to another formal group law $G$ is a series $h(T)=cT+O(T^2)$ satisfying $h(F(X,Y))=G(h(X),h(Y))$. The invertible morphism criterion for formal group laws isNecessity follows by comparing linear coefficients in $h^{-1}\circ h=T$. For sufficiency, solve recursively for a compositional inverse $j(T)=c^{-1}T+\cdots$: at every stage the new coefficient is obtained by dividing by the unit $c$, so all coefficients stay in ${\mathcal{O}}_K$. Applying $j$ to the morphism identity shows that $j$ is itself a group homomorphism of formal group laws.

In particular, the multiplication series satisfies $[n{]}_F(T)=nT+O(T^2)$. Since $p\nmid n$, the multiplication isomorphism of a formal group law makes $[n{]}_F$ invertible over ${\mathcal{O}}_K$. Its series and inverse converge on ${\mathfrak{m}}_K$, so multiplication by $n$ is bijective on $E_1(K)$, and on $E_1(L)$ for every finite extension $L/K$.

Let $K^{\mathrm{ur}}$ be the maximal unramified extension of $K$, with residue field $\overline{k}$. First show that every geometric solution of $nQ=P$ lies in $E(K^{\mathrm{ur}})$.

The multiplication-by-n morphism on the reduced elliptic curve is surjective over $\overline{k}$. Choose $\overline{Q}$ with $n\overline{Q}=\overline{P}$, defined over some finite finite field extension $k^{\prime }/k$. Let $L/K$ be the corresponding finite unramified extension. By the surjectivity of good reduction over a local field, lift $\overline{Q}$ to $Q_0\in E(L)$. Then $P-n{Q}_0\in E_1(L)$. The multiplication isomorphism of a formal group law gives a unique $R\in E_1(L)$ with $nR=P-n{Q}_0$, so $Q_0+R$ is an $n$-division point of $P$ defined over $L$.

Taking $P=O$ gives every element of $E[n]$ over $K^{\mathrm{ur}}$: reduction is injective on this torsion point of an elliptic curve group because $[n]$ is injective on the formal kernel, and each reduced $n$-torsion point has the unique corrected lift just constructed. Every other division point differs from one lift by an element of $E[n]$. Hence the entire field $K([n{]}^{-1}P)$ is unramified, not merely a field containing one choice of $Q$.

To bound the composite uniformly in $P$, put $f=[K(E[n]):K]$. This division field of an elliptic curve is unramified. The Galois group of $K^{\mathrm{ur}}/K$ is procyclic, generated topologically by its Frobenius element $\sigma$, and ${\sigma }^f$ fixes every element of $E[n]$. If $nQ=P\in E(K)$, thenIteration gives ${\sigma }^{jf}Q=Q+jT$. In particular ${\sigma }^{nf}Q=Q$. Thus every such $Q$, for every $P$ together, lies in the unique unramified extension of degree $nf$. If $M$ is the composite of all these fields, the uniform unramified division field over a local field givesThe prime-to-$p$ hypothesis is essential to the inverse-series argument; no assertion about arbitrary $p$-division is being made.