Higher descents on an elliptic curve with a rational 2-torsion point

Abstract

Let $E$ be an elliptic curve over a number field $K$. Descent calculations on $E$ can be used to find upper bounds for the rank of the Mordell-Weil group, and to compute covering curves that assist in the search for generators of this group. The general method of 4-descent, developed in the PhD theses of Siksek, Womack and Stamminger, has been implemented in Magma (when $K={\mathbb Q}$) and works well for elliptic curves with sufficiently small discriminant. By extending work of Bremner and Cassels, we describe the improvements that can be made when $E$ has a rational 2-torsion point. In particular, when $E$ has full rational 2-torsion, we describe a method for 8-descent that is practical for elliptic curves $E/{\mathbb Q}$ with large discriminant.