English

Zeta functions of abstract isogeny graphs and modular curves

Number Theory 2025-09-19 v1

Abstract

We introduce a ``non-orientable'' variation of Serre's definition of a graph, which we call an abstract isogeny graph. These objects capture the combinatorics of the graphs G(p,,H)G(p,\ell,H), the \ell-isogeny graphs of supersingular elliptic curves with HH-level structure. In particular they allow for the study of non-backtracking walks, primes, and zeta functions. We prove an analogue of Ihara's determinant formula for the zeta function of an abstract isogeny graph. For B1(N)HB0(N)B_1(N) \subseteq H \subseteq B_0(N) and p>3p > 3, we use this formula to relate the Ihara zeta function of G(p,,H)G(p,\ell,H) to the Hasse-Weil zeta functions of the modular curves XH,FX_{H, {\mathbb{F}_{\ell}}} and XH×B0(p),FX_{H \times B_0(p), \mathbb{F}_{\ell}}. As applications, we give an explicit formula relating point counts on X0(pN)FX_0(pN)_{\mathbb{F}_{\ell}} and X0(N)FX_0(N)_{\mathbb{F}_{\ell}} to cycle counts in G(p,,B0(N))G(p,\ell,B_0(N)) and prove that the number of non-backtracking cycles of length rr in G(p,,B0(N))G(p,\ell,B_0(N)) is asymptotic to r\ell^r.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2509.15214,
  title  = {Zeta functions of abstract isogeny graphs and modular curves},
  author = {Jun Bo Lau and Travis Morrison and Eli Orvis and Gabrielle Scullard and Lukas Zobernig},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2509.15214},
  year   = {2025}
}