The discrete logarithm problem from a local duality perspective

Abstract

The discrete logarithm problem is analyzed from the perspective of Tate local duality. Local duality in the multiplicative case and the case of Jacobians of curves over p-adic local fields are considered. When the local field contains the necessary roots of unity, the case of curves over local fields is polynomial time reducible to the multiplicative case, and the multiplicative case is polynomial time equivalent to computing discrete logarithm in finite fields. When the local field does not contains the necessary roots of unity, similar results can be obtained at the cost of going to an extension that contains these roots of unity. There was evidence in the analysis that suggests that the minimal extension where the local duality can be rationally and algorithmically defined must contain the roots of unity. Therefore, the discrete logarithm problem appears to be well protected against an attack using local duality. These results are also of independent interest for algorithmic study of arithmetic duality as they explicitly relate local duality in the case of curves over local fields to the multiplicative case and Tate-Lichtenbaum pairing (over finite fields).