Genus 2 Curves with Complex Multiplication

Eyal Z. Goren, Kristin E. Lauter

Published 2010-03-24Version 1

Genus 2 curves are useful in cryptography for both discrete-log based and pairing-based systems, but a method is required to compute genus 2 curves such that the Jacobian has a given number of points. Currently, all known methods involve constructing genus 2 curves with complex multiplication via computing their three Igusa class polynomials. These polynomials have rational coefficients and require extensive computation and precision to compute. Both the computation and the complexity analysis of these algorithms can be improved by a more precise understanding of the denominators of the coefficients of the polynomials. The main goal of this paper is to give a bound on the denominators of Igusa class polynomials of genus 2 curves with CM by a primitive quartic CM field. We give an overview of Igusa's results on the moduli space of genus two curves and the method to construct genus 2 curves via their Igusa invariants. We also give a complete characterization of the reduction type of a CM abelian surface, for biquadratic, cyclic, and non-Galois quartic CM fields, and for any type of prime decomposition of the prime, including ramified primes. The methods of the proof of the main result involve studying the embedding problem of the quartic CM field into certain matrix algebras over quaternions and invoking techniques from crystalline deformation theory.