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First compute the Mordell-Weil group rank by two-isogeny descent. HereThe two-isogeny formula gives $\varphi :E\to E^{\prime }$. If $u=1+i$, then $u^4=-4$, andis an isomorphism over $K$. Its $x$-coordinate multiplier $u^2$ is a square in $K$.

Use the two-torsion square-class homomorphismFor any prime ideal of the Gaussian integers, if $v(x)>0$, then $x^2+i$ is a unit and $2v(y)=v(x)$; if $v(x)<0$, the term $x^3$ has strictly smallest valuation and $2v(y)=3v(x)$. Hence every valuation of $x$ is even. Since the Gaussian integers form a principal ideal domain, dividing by a square leaves a unit. Their units are $\{1,-1,i,-i\}$, whose square classes are $\{1,i\}$ because $-1=i^2$ and $i$ is not a square in $K$. For the latter assertion, $(a+bi{)}^2=i$ with $a,b\in \mathbb{Q}$ would imply $a^2=b^2$ and $2ab=1$, hence $a^2=1/2$, impossible for rational $a$. ThusBoth classes occur, at $O$ and $T$. This is the unit square-class bound for two-isogeny descent.

Define ${\alpha }^{\prime }$ on $E^{\prime }$ similarly, with ${\alpha }^{\prime }((0,0))=[-4i]=[i]$. Since $\theta$ multiplies nonexceptional $x$-coordinates by a square, and preserves the exceptional classes as well, its image is also $\{1,[i]\}$. The standard kernel identities in two-isogeny descent areHere $\hat{\varphi }$ is the dual isogeny and $\hat{\varphi }\varphi =[2]$. These identities can be checked directly from the formulas: $x(\hat{\varphi }(X,Y))=(Y/(2X){)}^2$, and conversely a square $x$-coordinate lets the quadratic equation for a preimage be solved using the curve equation. For example, if $x=r^2\ne 0$, the equation for $X$ is $X^2-(4x+2a)X+(a^2-4b)=0$, whose discriminant is $16(x^2+ax+b)=16(y/r{)}^2$; the $Y$-coordinate then follows from the dual formula. The exceptional points satisfy the same completed square-class criterion.

The two-isogeny index formula over a number field keeps track of a small kernel factor:In this case $\ker \hat{\varphi }=\{O,T^{\prime }\}$, where $T^{\prime }=(0,0)$, and $T^{\prime }\notin \varphi E(K)$ because ${\alpha }^{\prime }(T^{\prime })=[i]\ne 1$. Thus $\delta =2$, and the index is $2\cdot 2/2=2$. There is only one nonzero rational 2-torsion point on $E$: the other two would require $x^2=-i$, and $-i$ has the same nonsquare class as $i$. The Mordell-Weil theorem now givesso $r=0$.

It remains to identify all torsion, rather than merely the rank. The elliptic-curve discriminant is $-64i^3$, so the primes $(3)$ and $(2-i)$ have good reduction, with residue characteristics three and five. By the supplied point-count information their reduction groups have orders that are powers of two. The reduction of torsion points on an elliptic curve is injective on prime-to-residue-characteristic torsion. Every odd-primary torsion subgroup therefore injects into a group of two-power order at at least one of these two primes, and must be zero. All torsion is two-primary.

Finally, if a point had order four, its double would be $T$. The elliptic-curve addition formula givesFor $2P=T$ the denominator is nonzero, so $x^2=i$, impossible in $K$. A point of higher two-power order would have a multiple of order four, so it too is excluded. Thus the only torsion points are $O,T$. Together with rank zero,

Work in characteristic different from two, as in the number-field application below. Nonsingularity is equivalent to $b(a^2-4b)\ne 0$. The chord through $P=(x,y)$ and $T=(0,0)$ has slope $y/x$. Using $y^2/x^2=x+a+b/x$ in the elliptic-curve addition formula givesThese formulas hold for $P\ne O,T$; addition interchanges $O$ and $T$.

It follows that $\xi =x+a+b/x=y^2/x^2$ and $\eta =y(1-b/x^2)$. The relation isFor a direct verification, observe thatTherefore the two-isogeny formula isThe target elliptic curve is nonsingular because its corresponding coefficient product is $16b(a^2-4b)\ne 0$. The rational map of projective varieties extends over the exceptional points to a morphism of smooth projective algebraic curves; at both $O$ and $T$ its affine coordinates tend to infinity, giving the displayed values. A nonconstant morphism between elliptic curves sending $O$ to $O$ is a group homomorphism, so this is an isogeny of elliptic curves.

One can also see the quotient directly: translation by $T$ leaves $\xi ,\eta$ invariant. The equation $x^2+(a-\xi )x+b=0$ makes the source function field a degree-two extension of the target function field; its nontrivial automorphism is translation by $T$. Equivalently, the degree of an isogeny from its x-coordinate map is two. The kernel of an isogeny is precisely $\{O,T\}$. Thus $\varphi$ is a separable isogeny of degree two.

Let $\pi ,{\pi }^{\prime }$ be the $p$-power Frobenius isogenies of $E,E^{\prime }$. Since $\psi$ is defined over ${\mathbb{F}}_p$, it commutes with Frobenius:Taking degrees, using multiplicativity and cancelling the nonzero degree of an isogeny $\mathrm{deg}\psi$, givesBoth differences are separable, so the preceding proof identifies their degrees with rational point counts. Therefore

Isogenous elliptic curves can have different rational point groups. Here is an explicit example. Over ${\mathbb{F}}_7$, takeThe mapextends across $O$ and $(0,0)$ to a degree-$2$ isogeny of elliptic curves with those two points as its kernel. Substitution verifies the target equation, or this follows from the two-isogeny formula with $a=0,b=-1$. Both curves are smooth modulo $7$.

For $x=0,1,\dots ,6$, the numbers of affine points with that abscissa on $E$ are $(1,1,0,0,2,2,1)$, and on $E^{\prime }$ they are $(1,0,2,2,0,0,2)$. Adding the point at infinity gives $8$ on each. The first curve has four rational points of order dividing $2$, from $O$ and the three roots $0,1,-1$. The second has only two: its quadratic factor $X^2+4$ has no root modulo $7$, since $3$ is not a square. By the classification of finite abelian groups,They are thus isogenous with equal orders and nonisomorphic groups.

Start with an elliptic curve having a rational point $T$ of order $2$. Move that point to $(0,0)$ and take an integral modelPut $b^{\prime }=a^2-4b$ andThe two-isogeny formula and its dual areThey extend to the projective curves, with kernels $\{O,T\}$ and $\{O,T^{\prime }\}$, where $T^{\prime }=(0,0)\in E^{\prime }$. Substitution verifies their target equations, and the elliptic-curve addition formula verifies $\hat{\varphi }\varphi =[2]$ and $\varphi \hat{\varphi }=[2]$. The division by $4,8$ in the dual identifies the twice-transformed curve, with coefficients $4a,16b$, with $E$.

Define the two-torsion square-class homomorphismsQuestion 1(ii) proves these are homomorphisms, since $f^{\prime }(0)=b$. Their kernels areFor completeness, the first coordinate of the dual is $Y^2/(4X^2)$, so a nonexceptional dual image has square $x$-coordinate. Conversely, if $x=u^2\ne 0$, the preimage equation iswhose discriminant is $16(x^2+ax+b)=16(y/u{)}^2$. The roots $X=2x+a\pm 2y/u$ are rational and nonzero. Choosing $Y=\pm 2uX$ gives a point on $E^{\prime }$, and a choice of sign makes its dual image exactly $(x,y)$. The point $T$ has a rational dual preimage precisely when $b$ is a square, as seen from the roots $a\pm 2\sqrt{b}$ of the nonzero two-torsion polynomial on $E^{\prime }$. The identity is already a dual image. Applying this argument to the transformed curve proves the second kernel assertion as well, because scaling an $x$-coordinate by $4$ does not change its square class.

The two-isogeny descent is finite because an image square class has a signed square-free integer representative dividing $b$. Indeed, if $\ell \nmid b$ and $v_{\ell }(x)>0$, the other factor $x^2+ax+b$ is a unit, so $v_{\ell }(y^2)=v_{\ell }(x)$ forces an even valuation. If $v_{\ell }(x)<0$, the term $x^2$ dominates that factor and $v_{\ell }(y^2)=3v_{\ell }(x)$, again forcing even valuation. Thus odd valuations can occur only at primes dividing $b$. The same argument applies to $b^{\prime }$ on $E^{\prime }$.

For each candidate signed squarefree divisor $d\mid b$, put $x=d(U/V{)}^2$, with coprime integers $U,V$. The curve equation becomes the two-isogeny descent quarticA solution with $UV\ne 0$ yields $x=d{U}^2/V^2$ and $y=dUN/V^3$. Conversely, every point in that class gives such a primitive integer solution, since a rational square root of an integer is integral. The boundary solutions $U=0$ and $V=0$ account respectively for the classes of $T$ and $O$. Rational solutions prove that a class occurs; a real or congruence obstruction excludes it. Merely finding local solutions everywhere does not automatically prove a rational solution.

To extract the rank, write $A=\alpha (E(\mathbb{Q}))$ and $A^{\prime }={\alpha }^{\prime }(E^{\prime }(\mathbb{Q}))$. The Mordell-Weil theorem givesThe isogeny factorization gives the index $|A|$ for the first quotient by $\hat{\varphi }{E}^{\prime }$. For the remaining index, apply $\hat{\varphi }$ to $E^{\prime }/\varphi E$. Its kernel has size $2/e$, whereThe equality follows because $\hat{\varphi }(\varphi P)=2P$. Consequentlyand cancellation yields the two-isogeny rank formulaThis formula is valid whether there is just one rational nonzero two-torsion point or all three.

For the first curve, $a=-1,b=1$, and the isogenous curve isThe only candidate square classes on $E$ are $1,-1$. Since $x^2-x+1>0$ for every real $x$, a real affine point has $x\ge 0$; the exceptional torsion class is $[b]=1$. ThusOn $E^{\prime }$, the candidates are $1,-1,3,-3$. They all occur: the identity gives $1$, $T^{\prime }$ gives $-3$, $(3,6)$ gives $3$, and $(-1,2)$ gives $-1$. Hence $|A^{\prime }|=4$, andThe product in the rank formula is $1\cdot 4=4$, not $1\cdot 2$; all four classes on the companion curve are essential.

For the second curve, $a=5,b=-6$, andThe candidate classes on $E$ are $\{\pm 1,\pm 2,\pm 3,\pm 6\}$. The identity, $T$, $(2,4)$ and $(-3,6)$ show thatThis is a subgroup of order $4$. Its other coset is $\{3,6,-1,-2\}$, so it suffices to exclude the representative $3$.

The modulo-eight obstruction to a two-isogeny descent class uses the corresponding two-isogeny descent quartic,If both $U,V$ are odd, its right side is $6$ modulo $8$. If $U$ is odd and $V$ even, it is $3$ or $7$ modulo $8$. If $U$ is even and $V$ odd, it is $6$ or $2$ modulo $8$. These are all primitive parity cases, and none is a square modulo $8$. Hence the class $3$ is impossible. Since $A$ is a subgroup, every class in its coset is impossible, and thereforeOn the companion curve, the only candidates are $\pm 1,\pm 7$. Its quadratic factor is $(X-5{)}^2+24>0$, so every nonzero real affine $X$ is positive. The exceptional value $[49]$ is $1$, and the point $(7,14)$ supplies the class $7$. ThusThe rank formula gives $2^r=4\cdot 2/4=2$, soEvery included class has an explicit rational representative and every excluded coset has a proved real or congruence obstruction, so these are exact ranks rather than bounds obtained from a point search.

For the two-isogeny formula $\varphi :E\to E^{\prime }$ over a number field, the two-torsion square-class homomorphisms have kernels $\hat{\varphi }{E}^{\prime }(K)$ and $\varphi E(K)$. ConsequentlyIndeed $2E(K)=\hat{\varphi }\varphi E(K)$, and the surjection from $E^{\prime }(K)/\varphi E(K)$ to $\hat{\varphi }{E}^{\prime }(K)/2E(K)$ has kernel $\ker \hat{\varphi }/(\ker \hat{\varphi }\cap \varphi E(K))$. Combined with the Mordell-Weil theorem, the index is $2^r\#E(K)[2]$, where $r$ is the rank of an abelian group. This formula prevents an erroneous extra factor of two in an isogeny descent.