Multiplicative and linear dependence in finite fields and on elliptic curves modulo primes

Abstract: For positive integers $K$ and $L$, we introduce and study the notion of $K$-multiplicative dependence over the algebraic closure $\overline{\mathbb{F}}p$ of a finite prime field $\mathbb{F}_p$, as well as $L$-linear dependence of points on elliptic curves in reduction modulo primes. One of our main results shows that, given non-zero rational functions $\varphi_1,\ldots,\varphi_m, \varrho_1,\ldots,\varrho_n\in\mathbb{Q}(X)$ and an elliptic curve $E$ defined over the integers $\mathbb{Z}$, for any sufficiently large prime $p$, for all but finitely many $\alpha\in\overline{\mathbb{F}}_p$, at most one of the following two can happen: $\varphi_1(\alpha),\ldots,\varphi_m(\alpha)$ are $K$-multiplicatively dependent or the points $(\varrho_1(\alpha),\cdot), \ldots,(\varrho_n(\alpha),\cdot)$ are $L$-linearly dependent on the reduction of $E$ modulo $p$. As one of our main tools, we prove a general statement about the intersection of an irreducible curve in the split semiabelian variety $\mathbb{G}{\mathrm{m}}^m \times E^n$ with the algebraic subgroups of codimension at least $2$. As an application of our results, we improve a result of M. C. Chang and extend a result of J. F. Voloch about elements of large order in finite fields in some special cases.