Worked solution: Wiles's modularity proof via the Taylor–Wiles method (1994)
What if an elliptic curve has a reducible mod- representation , so Langlands–Tunnell cannot get the induction started at ? Both and cannot be badly behaved at the same time for a semistable curve, so when fails, the mod- representation is irreducible.
In May 1993, Wiles found a clever relay trick (the – switch): construct a second semistable elliptic curve that shares with the exact same -torsion shadow , while its -torsion shadow is irreducible. Then is modular via , which makes modular, and now Wiles can run his lifting machine at to prove itself is modular!
As Wiles explains in the introduction and Chapter 5 of his paper (Wiles 1995, p. 444, p. 448, p. 452–453, and Chapter 5), a semistable elliptic curve automatically satisfies the local hypotheses of his lifting theorem at , except possibly when is reducible (or reducible over ). If both and were reducible, would yield a rational point on the modular curve (or a closely related curve), and the known classification of rational points on shows that every such semistable curve is already modular.
When is reducible and is irreducible, Wiles considers the twisted modular curve parameterizing elliptic curves whose -torsion agrees with and whose -torsion has a prescribed irreducible image. Because this moduli curve has genus with rational points, Hilbert's irreducibility theorem produces a semistable elliptic curve such that while is irreducible (Wiles 1995, p. 448 and Chapter 5).
Applying the modularity lifting theorem (Theorem 0.3) to proves that is modular. Since is modular, its mod- representation comes from a modular form—and because , the mod- representation of is now known to be modular! Wiles can then apply his modularity lifting theorem a second time, now with , to conclude that is modular (Wiles 1995, Theorem 0.4, p. 448).
- Irreducible vs. reducible representation
- A two-dimensional Galois representation is reducible if there is a one-dimensional line in fixed by every Galois symmetry (so all matrices become upper-triangular in a chosen basis), and irreducible if no such invariant line exists.
- The – switch
- Wiles's May 1993 technique (Chapter 5 of Wiles 1995) that replaces a semistable curve whose mod- representation is reducible by a companion semistable curve sharing the same mod- representation but having an irreducible mod- representation.