On the Rank of Jacobian Varieties of the Curves $y^s=a{x}^r+b$

Abstract

We study the family of algebraic curves of genus $\ge 1$ defined by the affine equations $y^s=a{x}^r+b$ over a number field $k$, where $r\ge 2$ and $s\ge 2$ are fixed integers. Assuming the strong version of Lang's conjecture on varieties of general type, we prove that the Mordell-Weil rank of the Jacobian varieties of these curves is uniformly bounded. The proof proceeds by constructing a parameter space for curves in the family with a given number of rational points and analyzing the geometry of its fibers, which are shown to be complete intersection curves of increasing genus.

Submitted paper