Elliptic Curves Reading Group

Instructor: Nils Bruin
nbruin@sfu.ca
SC K 10507
(778) 782 3794
Webpage: http://www.cecm.sfu.ca/~nbruin/ECreading
Textbook:
  • Silverman, Joseph H. The arithmetic of elliptic curves. Graduate Texts in Mathematics, 106. Springer-Verlag, New York, 1986. xii+400 pp. ISBN: 0-387-96203-4
Prerequisite: MATH 818, Algebraic curves. A basic knowledge of algebraic number theory is also very useful.
Meetings: Tuesday, 9:30 - 11:20, K 9509
May 7: We meet in ASB 10940 instead
July 30: We meet in ASB 10964 instead
Goal and format: Each meeting, one of the participants will lecture on a part of the textbook. We will fix the assignment of topics and the lecture schedule on the first meeting.

Lecturers, as a guide-line, should prepare a lecture of about an hour. Our time slot allows for overrun and discussion.
Schedule:
Date Lecturer Title Sections
May 7
 Aven Introduction to elliptic curves III.1-3,5
May 14 Eugene Isogenies III.4,6
May 21 Sepehr Tate module, Weil pairing and the endomorphism ring III.7-10
May 28 Nils A preview of Selmer groups and descent
June 4 cancelled
June 11 Eugene Formal groups IV
June 18 Ahmad Elliptic curves over finite fields V
June 25 Sharon Elliptic curves over C VI
July 2 Aven Elliptic curves over local fields VII
July 9 Ahmad Weak Mordell-Weil Theorem VIII.1-4
July 16 Sharon Heights; Canonical height VIII.5-9
July 23 cancelled
July 30
 Aven Computing Selmer Groups X
Aug 6 Eugene Galois cohomology Appendix B
Aug 13

This is a preliminary schedule. Furthermore, for some topics we should probably use additional references.