It is proved that if $\varphi \colon A\to B$ is a local homomorphism of commutative noetherian local rings, a nonzero finitely generated B-module N whose flat dimension over A is at most $\operatorname {edim} A - \operatorname {edim} B$ is free over B and $\varphi $ is a special type of complete intersection. This result is motivated by a ‘patching method’ developed by Taylor and Wiles and a conjecture of de Smit, proved by the first author, dealing with the special case when N is flat over A.

In his work on modularity theorems, Wiles proved a numerical criterion for a map of rings $R\to T$ to be an isomorphism of complete intersections. He used this to show that certain deformation rings and Hecke algebras associated to a mod $p$ Galois representation at non-minimal level are isomorphic and complete intersections, provided the same is true at minimal level. In this paper we study Hecke algebras acting on cohomology of Shimura curves arising from maximal orders in indefinite quaternion algebras over the rationals localized at a semistable irreducible mod $p$ Galois representation $\bar {\rho }$. If $\bar {\rho }$ is scalar at some primes dividing the discriminant of the quaternion algebra, then the Hecke algebra is still isomorphic to the deformation ring, but is not a complete intersection, or even Gorenstein, so the Wiles numerical criterion cannot apply. We consider a weight-2 newform $f$ which contributes to the cohomology of the Shimura curve and gives rise to an augmentation $\lambda _f$ of the Hecke algebra. We quantify the failure of the Wiles numerical criterion at $\lambda _f$ by computing the associated Wiles defect purely in terms of the local behavior at primes dividing the discriminant of the global Galois representation $\rho _f$ which $f$ gives rise to by the Eichler–Shimura construction. One of the main tools used in the proof is Taylor–Wiles–Kisin patching.

Let $p\geqslant 5$ be a prime, and let ${\mathcal{O}}$ be the ring of integers of a finite extension $K$ of $\mathbb{Q}_{p}$ with uniformizer ${\it\pi}$. Let ${\it\rho}_{n}:G_{\mathbb{Q}}\rightarrow \mathit{GL}_{2}\left({\mathcal{O}}/({\it\pi}^{n})\right)$ have modular mod-${\it\pi}$ reduction $\bar{{\it\rho}}$, be ordinary at $p$, and satisfy some mild technical conditions. We show that ${\it\rho}_{n}$ can be lifted to an ${\mathcal{O}}$-valued characteristic-zero geometric representation which arises from a newform. This is new in the case when $K$ is a ramified extension of $\mathbb{Q}_{p}$. We also show that a prescribed ramified complete discrete valuation ring ${\mathcal{O}}$ is the weight-$2$ deformation ring for $\bar{{\it\rho}}$ for a suitable choice of auxiliary level. This implies that the field of Fourier coefficients of newforms of weight 2, square-free level, and trivial nebentype that give rise to semistable $\bar{{\it\rho}}$ of weight 2 can have arbitrarily large ramification index at $p$.

In this paper, we study the structure of the local components of the (shallow, i.e. without $U_{p}$) Hecke algebras acting on the space of modular forms modulo $p$ of level $1$, and relate them to pseudo-deformation rings. In many cases, we prove that those local components are regular complete local algebras of dimension $2$, generalizing a recent result of Nicolas and Serre for the case $p=2$.

We prove that, for any prime ℓ and any even integer n, there are infinitely many exponents k for which appears as a Galois group over . This generalizes a result of Wiese from 2006, which inspired this paper.

We study deformation rings of an n-dimensional representation $\overline{\rho}$, defined over a finite field of characteristic $\ell$, of the arithmetic fundamental group $\pi_1(X)$, where X is a geometrically irreducible, smooth curve over a finite field k of characteristic p ($ \neq \ell$). When $\overline{\rho}$ has large image, we are able to show that the resulting rings are finite flat over $\mathbf{Z}_\ell$. The proof principally uses a Galois-theoretic lifting result of the authors in Part I of this two-part work, a lifting result for cuspidal mod $\ell$ forms of Ogilvie, Taylor–Wiles systems and the result of Lafforgue. This implies a conjecture of de Jong for representations of $\pi_1(X)$ with coefficients in power series rings over finite fields of characteristic $\ell$, that have this mod $\ell$ representation $\overline{\rho}$ as their reduction. A proof of all cases of the conjecture for $\ell>2$ follows from a result announced by Gaitsgory. The methods are different.

The main result of the paper is a reciprocity law which proves that compatible systems of semisimple, abelian mod $p$ representations (of arbitrary dimension) of absolute Galois groups of number fields, arise from Hecke characters. In the last section analogs for Galois groups of function fields of these results are explored, and a question is raised whose answer seems to require developments in transcendence theory in characteristic $p$.

Let L be a finite extension of a number field K with ring of integers and respectively. One can consider as a projective module over . The highest exterior power of as an module gives an element of the class group of , called the Steinitz module. These considerations work also for algebraic curves where we prove that for a finite unramified cover Y of an algebraic curve X, the Steinitz module as an element of the Picard group of X is the sum of the line bundles on X which become trivial when pulled back to Y. We give some examples to show that this kind of result is not true for number fields. We also make some remarks on the capitulation problem for both number field and function fields. (An ideal in is said to capitulate in L if its extension to is a principal ideal.)

Given an irreducible, modular, mod p representation p, we analyse the local components at p of newforms f which give rise to it.