English

The Counting function for Elkies primes

Number Theory 2023-11-30 v1

Abstract

Let EE be an elliptic curve over a finite field Fq\mathbb{F}_q where qq is a prime power. The Schoof--Elkies--Atkin (SEA) algorithm is a standard method for counting the number of Fq\mathbb{F}_q-points on EE. The asymptotic complexity of the SEA algorithm depends on the distribution of the so-called Elkies primes. Assuming GRH, we prove that the least Elkies prime is bounded by (2log4q+4)2(2\log 4q+4)^2 when q109q\geq 10^9. This is the first such explicit bound in the literature. Previously, Satoh and Galbraith established an upper bound of O((logq)2+ε)O((\log q)^{2+\varepsilon}). Let NE(X)N_E(X) denote the number of Elkies primes less than XX. Assuming GRH, we also show NE(X)=π(X)2+O(X(logqX)2logX). N_E(X)=\frac{\pi(X)}{2}+O\left(\frac{\sqrt{X}(\log qX)^2}{\log X}\right)\,.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2311.17231,
  title  = {The Counting function for Elkies primes},
  author = {Meher Elijah Lippmann and Kevin J. McGown},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.17231},
  year   = {2023}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-28T13:34:47.344Z