On group structures realized by elliptic curves over arbitrary finite fields

TL;DR

This paper investigates the possible group structures of elliptic curves over finite fields, including prime fields and those with specific torsion properties, using a mix of rigorous, conjectural, and heuristic methods.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the group structures realized by elliptic curves over various finite fields, incorporating recent number theory advances and conjectural insights.

Findings

Classification of group structures over finite fields

Results on curves over prime fields and with prescribed torsion

Combination of rigorous, conjectural, and heuristic approaches

Abstract

We study the collection of group structures that can be realized as a group of rational points on an elliptic curve over a finite field (such groups are well known to be of rank at most two). We also study various subsets of this collection which correspond to curves over prime fields or to curves with a prescribed torsion. Some of our results are rigorous and are based on recent advances in analytic number theory, some are conditional under certain widely believed conjectures, and others are purely heuristic in nature.