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Let $L/{\mathbb{Q}}_p$ be finite, with ring of integers ${\mathcal{O}}_L$ and maximal ideal ${\mathfrak{m}}_L$. The formal group of an elliptic curve on an integral Weierstrass model is a formal group law $F(X,Y)\in {\mathcal{O}}_L[[X,Y]]$, and $\hat{E}(L)$ denotes its points with parameter in ${\mathfrak{m}}_L$. Its multiplication series isSince $p\nmid m$, the linear coefficient $m$ is a unit. Construct a compositional inverse $g(T)=m^{-1}T+{\sum }_{j\ge 2}{b}_j{T}^j$ recursively: at degree $j$, the coefficient of $b_j$ in $[m{]}_F(g(T))$ is $m$, so the equation making that degree vanish uniquely determines $b_j\in {\mathcal{O}}_L$. The inverse on the other side is the same series, by uniqueness of formal composition inverses.

Both series converge on ${\mathfrak{m}}_L$, since their coefficients are integral and powers of an element of ${\mathfrak{m}}_L$ tend to zero. Their formal identities therefore hold as identities of convergent values. Thus for every $P$ there is a unique $Q$ with $[m]Q=P$, andThis proves unique divisibility for every finite extension, including ramified extensions and negative $m$. It uses prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group, not an unjustified logarithm isomorphism on the entire maximal ideal.

Now assume good reduction of an elliptic curve. For a finite local extension $M$, the reduction sequence isProperness defines reduction for all points, smoothness and the Hensel lemma make it surjective, and its kernel is precisely the formal group. Let $K$ be the maximal unramified extension and take $P\in E(K)$. Its coordinates lie in a finite unramified extension $L/{\mathbb{Q}}_p$. Over the algebraic closure of the residue field, the isogeny $[m]$ is surjective, so choose $\overline{Q}$ with $[m]\overline{Q}=\tilde{P}$. This residue point is defined over a finite residue extension. Choose the corresponding finite unramified extension $M/L$ inside $K$, and lift it to $Q_0\in E(M)$ by smooth reduction.

Then $P-[m]Q_0$ lies in the reduction kernel. The first argument gives a unique kernel point $R$ with $[m]R=P-[m]Q_0$. Hence $Q=Q_0+R\in E(M)\subseteq E(K)$ satisfies $[m]Q=P$. ConsequentlyEvery lifting and convergence argument was made in a finite complete extension; $K$ itself need not be complete. Unique divisibility is asserted only for the formal group. For $|m|>1$, good reduction also lifts the prime-to-$p$ torsion, so $E(K)$ has nonzero $m$-torsion and division there is not unique. The construction is unramified division points at good reduction.

At $2$ there is good reduction, and the surjectivity of good reduction over a local field gives an exact sequenceThe quotient has order $5$ and is consequently a cyclic group. For every odd integer $n$, multiplication by $n$ is an automorphism of $E_1({\mathbb{Q}}_2)$: its formal group law has multiplication series $nt+O(t^2)$ with unit linear coefficient, whose inverse formal power series has integral coefficients and converges on $2{\mathbb{Z}}_2$. This is the prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group.

Thus the odd-primary torsion subgroup injects into the order-five quotient. It also realizes that quotient: choose a lift $P$ of any reduced point, so $[5]P\in E_1$. There is a unique $Q\in E_1$ with $[5]Q=[5]P$. Then $P-Q$ is killed by five and has the prescribed reduction. This proves the prime-to-p torsion lifts uniquely at good reduction directly here. Therefore, for an odd prime $p$,The five-primary subgroup consists of the unique five-torsion lifts of the five reduced points. These lifts need not be rational over $\mathbb{Q}$; the preceding answer about rational torsion points of an elliptic curve does not contradict their existence over the p-adic field.

Only the prime two can ramify. More precisely, every field $\mathbb{Q}(P_n)$ is unramified at every odd prime; actual ramification at two depends on $P$ and the chosen division point. Use $[2^n]P_n=P$, as printed in the original PDF.

Fix an odd prime $p$ and put $N=2^n$. The elliptic-curve discriminant $-2^8$ gives good reduction at $p$, and $N$ is a unit in ${\mathbb{Z}}_p$. The unramified division torsors at good primes imply that all division points of an elliptic curve above $P$ are defined over finite unramified extensions of ${\mathbb{Q}}_p$. Here is a direct lifting proof, which does not require $P$ to have integral affine coordinates.

Properness gives a reduction $\tilde{P}$. Choose a point $\overline{Q}$ with $[N]\overline{Q}=\tilde{P}$ over the algebraic closure of the residue field, and a finite residue extension containing it. Pass to the corresponding finite unramified extension $K/{\mathbb{Q}}_p$. The surjectivity of good reduction over a local field lifts $\overline{Q}$ to $Q_0\in E(K)$. Its error $[N]Q_0-P$ lies in the kernel of reduction of an elliptic curve. The prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group makes $[N]$ bijective on that kernel. Choose the unique kernel point $R$ with $[N]R=[N]Q_0-P$; then $Q=Q_0-R$ satisfies $[N]Q=P$ and has reduction $\overline{Q}$.

Every algebraic division point has some such reduction and is the unique lift in its division fibre: the difference of two lifts lies in the reduction kernel, which has no $N$-torsion. Thus every chosen $P_n$ lies in an unramified local extension. For every prime of its possibly non-Galois coordinate field above $p$, the ramification index is one. Globally,One cannot universally assert that two actually ramifies: $P=O$ and $P_n=O$ give the field $\mathbb{Q}$. It can ramify. For example, a half of $T=(-1,0)$ isThe elliptic curve group law verifies this by doubling. Its coordinate field contains $\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{2})$, which has ramification in the quadratic extension generated by the square root of two, so the only possible bad prime does occur for this choice.

All geometric 2-torsion is rational: its points are $O,(\alpha ,0),(\beta ,0),(\gamma ,0)$. We will construct the required finite quotient directly, without assuming any theorem about finite generation or two-descent on an elliptic curve.

Choose $Q\in E(\overline{K})$ with $2Q=P$ and define the halving cocycle with rational two-torsionSuch a half exists because the nonconstant multiplication morphism $[2]$ on a smooth projective elliptic curve is surjective over an algebraic closure. Since $E[2]$ is rational, $c_P(\sigma \tau )=c_P(\sigma )+c_P(\tau )$. A different half is $Q+T$ with rational $T\in E[2]$ and gives the same cocycle. Replacing $P$ by $P+2R$, with $R\in E(K)$, allows the half $Q+R$ and again changes nothing. Adding chosen halves shows additivity in $P$. If the cocycle is zero, the half is fixed by the absolute Galois group and lies in $E(K)$, so $P\in 2E(K)$. This proves, rather than assumes, an injectionThe fixed field of $\ker c_P$ is exactly $K(Q)$. Its Galois group is the image of $c_P$, so its degree is at most four. This also follows from the permitted biquadratic description.

Let $S$ be the finite set of primes dividing $2(\alpha -\beta )(\alpha -\gamma )(\beta -\gamma )$. At a place $v\notin S$ the displayed integral cubic has unit elliptic-curve discriminant, hence good reduction of an elliptic curve, and the residue characteristic is odd. Choose a half $\overline{Q}$ of the reduction of $P$ over the algebraic closure of the residue field. Its coordinates belong to a finite residue extension; let $L_v/K_v$ be the corresponding finite unramified extension. Smoothness and the Hensel lemma lift $\overline{Q}$ to some $Q_0\in E(L_v)$. The difference $P-2Q_0$ reduces to zero and belongs to the formal kernel of a minimal Weierstrass equation. In its integral formal group law the doubling series is $2t+O(t^2)$, with unit linear coefficient. The prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group gives a unique $R$ in this kernel such that $2R=P-2Q_0$. Thus $Q_0+R$ is a half of $P$ defined over an unramified local extension. Every other half differs by rational 2-torsion, so it too is unramified. We have proved the unramified halving fields for a split cubic assertion at every $v\notin S$.

There are only finitely many bounded-degree extensions with restricted ramification of $K$ of degree at most four. This is the permitted number-field finiteness consequence of the Hermite–Minkowski theorem: bounded local degrees bound the discriminant exponents at the finitely many allowed ramified primes, so absolute discriminants are bounded. Each possible halving field $L$ is Galois, and there are only finitely many homomorphisms $\mathrm{Gal}(L/K)\to E[2]$. The injection constructed above therefore has finite image. Consequently $E(K)/2E(K)$ is finite. No elliptic-curve finiteness or descent theorem was used in this argument.

For $K=\mathbb{Q}$, write $s=\#S$. Each coordinate of $c_P$ in a basis of $E[2]\cong (\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}{)}^2$ is a quadratic Galois character unramified outside $S$. Its quadratic extension has a signed square-free integer representative $d=\pm {\prod }_{p\in S}{p}^{e_p}$, $e_p\in \{0,1\}$: an odd valuation outside $S$ would ramify there. There are at most $2^{s+1}$ choices, including the trivial character. Hence the pair of characters gives at most $2^{2s+2}$ cocycles. Each prime in $S$ is at most $2m$, because the three root differences have absolute values at most $2m$ and $2\le 2m$. Among the integers up to $2m$ there are at most $m$ primes: two, together with at most $m-1$ odd candidates. The rational halving quotient bound from root size is therefore

Direct substitution gives $y^2+y=x^3-x+6$ for both points. The displayed Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve is minimal at every prime by the permitted assumption.

For $P$, neither $364$ nor $11737$ is divisible by three or five. ThereforeThe formal kernel of a minimal Weierstrass equation description gives $P\in E_1({\mathbb{Q}}_3)\cap E_1({\mathbb{Q}}_5)$. Similarly, neither $2059$ nor $98783$ is divisible by three or seven, so $Q\in E_1({\mathbb{Q}}_3)\cap E_1({\mathbb{Q}}_7)$, with the same respective coordinate valuations $-2,-3$.

If a point $T\in E_1({\mathbb{Q}}_p)$ had finite order of a group element $N=p^{a}n$ with $p\nmid n$, the point $p^{a}T$ would be killed by $n$. By prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group, multiplication by $n$ is injective on this kernel, so $p^{a}T=O$. Its order is therefore a power of $p$. Applying this at two distinct primes is the two-prime formal-kernel test for nontorsion: the order of $P$ would be both a power of three and of five, and the order of $Q$ both a power of three and of seven. Each would have to be the identity, although both are affine points. Both $P$ and $Q$ have infinite order.

In the one-dimensional commutative convention, a formal group law over $R$ is a formal power series $F(X,Y)=X+Y+\text{terms of degree at least two}$ satisfying $F(X,0)=X$, $F(0,Y)=Y$, $F(X,Y)=F(Y,X)$ and $F(F(X,Y),Z)=F(X,F(Y,Z))$. The formal inverse is a series $I(T)=-T+O(T^2)$ with $F(T,I(T))=0$. For $R={\mathbb{Z}}_p$ all these series converge on $p{\mathbb{Z}}_p$, which becomes a group with operation $F$.

Repeated formal addition gives the multiplication isomorphism of a formal group law $[n{]}_F(T)=nT+O(T^2)$. If $p\nmid n$, the coefficient $n$ is a unit in the p-adic integers. We can construct an inverse $H(T)=n^{-1}T+{\sum }_{j\ge 2}{h}_j{T}^j$ by coefficient recursion. At degree $j$, the equation $[n{]}_F(H(T))=T$ has the form $n{h}_j+\text{known integral terms}=0$; dividing by the unit $n$ keeps $h_j$ integral. The inverse is two-sided by uniqueness of formal composition inverses. Since integral coefficients multiplied by successive powers of $t\in p{\mathbb{Z}}_p$ tend to zero, both series converge on that set and their formal identities hold there. This proves prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group:The argument also applies at $p=2$ for odd $n$; it does not require a logarithm or torsion-freeness.

For good reduction of an elliptic curve over a complete local field of residue characteristic $p$, smoothness and the Hensel lemma make reduction surjective. Its kernel is a formal group on the maximal ideal, where multiplication by $q^m$, $q\ne p$, is bijective by prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group. Thus there is no nonzero $q$-power torsion in the kernel. Given a lift $P$ of a reduced point killed by $q^m$, choose the unique kernel point $R$ with $q^{m}R=q^{m}P$. Then $P-R$ is a torsion lift. This proves both surjectivity and uniqueness of torsion lifting. For finite residue field these groups are finite.

A nonidentity rational point in the formal kernel of a minimal Weierstrass equation at two distinct primes has infinite order of a group element. Indeed, the prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group implies that a finite order in the kernel at $p$ must be a power of $p$. Membership in the kernel at a different prime $q$ also forces a power of $q$. The only common possibility is order one, contradicting nonidentity. For an integral model, negative valuations of the affine coordinates provide a convenient kernel-membership test.

At a prime of good reduction of an elliptic curve with residue characteristic not dividing $m$, multiplication by $m$ extends to a finite étale map of the smooth proper elliptic group scheme over the valuation ring. A local rational point extends to a section by properness. Its division fibre is therefore a finite étale torsor, so the Kummer map of an elliptic curve gives an unramified cohomology class. This bounds ramification in the Weak Mordell-Weil theorem.

A direct proof describes the coordinates, not only the cohomology class. Reduce $P$ by properness and choose a point $\overline{Q}$ with $[m]\overline{Q}=\tilde{P}$ over a finite extension of the residue field. Over the corresponding unramified extension of the complete local field, lift $\overline{Q}$ by the Hensel lemma. The error $[m]Q_0-P$ is in the kernel of reduction of an elliptic curve; prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group corrects it uniquely. There is no $m$-torsion in that kernel, even after a ramified field extension, so every division point with that reduction equals this unramified lift. Consequently all division points of an elliptic curve above $P$ have unramified coordinate fields. The torsion case is discussed in J. S. Milne's Elliptic Curves, Chapter V, Proposition 8.1.

Let $E:y^2=(x-\alpha )(x-\beta )(x-\gamma )$ with distinct algebraic integers in a number field $K$. For a rational point $P$, its halving field is unramified outside the finite set $S$ of primes dividing $2(\alpha -\beta )(\alpha -\gamma )(\beta -\gamma )$. At $v\notin S$, the elliptic-curve discriminant is a unit, so there is good reduction. A half of the reduction of $P$ is defined over a finite extension of the residue field. Pass to the corresponding unramified extension of the completion and lift this half using the Hensel lemma. The doubling error lies in the formal kernel of a minimal Weierstrass equation. Since two is a unit, prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group corrects this error uniquely. Every half differs by rational 2-torsion, so all halves are unramified at $v$. The halving cocycle with rational two-torsion has image of order at most four, making the halving field a Galois extension of degree at most four. The bounded-degree extensions with restricted ramification are finite in number; there are only finitely many homomorphisms from their finite Galois groups to $E[2]$. Thus $E(K)/2E(K)$ is finite, without assuming any form of the Mordell-Weil theorem.