Octahedral Galois Representations Arising From $\mathbf{Q}$-Curves of Degree $2$

http://dx.doi.org/10.4153/CJM-2002-046-8
Canad. J. Math. 54(2002), 1202-1228

  Published:2002-12-01
 Printed: Dec 2002

Generically, one can attach to a $\mathbf{Q}$-curve $C$ octahedral representations $\rho\colon\Gal(\bar{\mathbf{Q}}/\mathbf{Q})\rightarrow\GL_2(\bar\mathbf{F}_3)$ coming from the Galois action on the $3$-torsion of those abelian varieties of $\GL_2$-type whose building block is $C$. When $C$ is defined over a quadratic field and has an isogeny of degree $2$ to its Galois conjugate, there exist such representations $\rho$ having image into $\GL_2(\mathbf{F}_9)$. Going the other way, we can ask which $\mod 3$ octahedral representations $\rho$ of $\Gal(\bar\mathbf{Q}/\mathbf{Q})$ arise from $\mathbf{Q}$-curves in the above sense. We characterize those arising from quadratic $\mathbf{Q}$-curves of degree $2$. The approach makes use of Galois embedding techniques in $\GL_2(\mathbf{F}_9)$, and the characterization can be given in terms of a quartic polynomial defining the $\mathcal{S}_4$-extension of $\mathbf{Q}$ corresponding to the projective representation $\bar{\rho}$.