An arithmetic method of proving the irrationality of smooth projective 3-folds is described, using reduction modulo $p$. It is illustrated by an application to a cubic threefold, for which the hypothesis that its intermediate Jacobian is isomorphic to the Jacobian of a curve is contradicted by reducing modulo 3 and counting points over appropriate extensions of $\mathbb F_3$. As a spin-off, it is shown that the 5-dimensional Prym varieties arising as intermediate Jacobians of certain cubic 3-folds have the maximal number of points over $\mathbb F_q$ which attains Perret's and Weil's upper bounds.
Categories: math.AG