Galois criterion for torsion points of Drinfeld modules

Abstract

In this paper, we formulate the Drinfeld module analogue of a question raised by Lang and studied by Katz on the existence of rational points on abelian varieties over number fields. Given a maximal ideal [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], the question essentially asks whether, up to isogeny, a Drinfeld module [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text] contains a rational [Formula: see text]-torsion point if the reduction of [Formula: see text] at almost all primes of [Formula: see text] contains a rational [Formula: see text]-torsion point. Similar to the case of abelian varieties, we show that the answer is positive if the rank of the Drinfeld module is [Formula: see text], but negative if the rank is [Formula: see text]. Moreover, for rank [Formula: see text] Drinfeld modules we classify those cases where the answer is positive.