Torsion points of small order on cyclic covers of $\mathbb{P}^1$. III

Abstract

Let $d>1$ be an integer and $K_0$ a perfect field such that $char(K_0)$ does not divide $d$. Let $n>d$ be an integer that is prime to $d$. Let $f(x)\in K_0[x]$ be a degree $n$ monic polynomial without repeated roots, and $\mathcal{C}_{f,d}$ a smooth projective model of the affine curve $y^d=f(x)$. Let $J(\mathcal{C}_{f,d})$ be the Jacobian of the $K_0$-curve $\mathcal{C}_{f,d} $. As usual, we identify $\mathcal{C}_{f,d}$ with its canonical image in $J(\mathcal{C}_{f,d})$ (such that the only ``infinite point'' of $\mathcal{C}_{f,d}$ goes to the zero of the group law on $J(\mathcal{C}_{f,d})$). We say that an integer $m>1$ is $(n,d)$-reachable over $K_0$ if there exists a polynomial $f(x)$ as above such that $\mathcal{C}_{f,d}(K_0)$ contains a torsion point of order $m$. Let us put $\ell_0:=[(n+d)/d], \ m_0:=\ell_0 d$. Earlier we proved that if $m$ is $(n,d)$-reachable, then either $m=d$ or $m = n$ or $m \ge m_0$ (in addition, both $d$ and $n$ are $(n,d)$-reachable over every $K_0$). We also proved that if $m_0$ is $(n,d)$-reachable over some $K_0$ then $n-m_0+\ell_0\ge 0$. In the present paper we discuss the $(n,d)$-reachability of $m_0$ when $n-m_0+\ell_0=0$ or $1$.