arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to David Harbater.
We discuss local-global principles for the existence of Levi factors (i.e., complements to the unipotent radical) for linear algebraic groups over one-variable function fields. We give examples of disconnected groups that fail the local-global principle, and prove a strong local-global principle in the presence of Levi descent.
Under mild hypotheses, given a scheme $U$ and an open subset $V$ whose complement has codimension at least two, the pushforward of a torsion-free coherent sheaf on $V$ is coherent on $U$, and in particular is finite. We prove an analog of this finiteness assertion in the context of formal schemes over a complete discrete valuation ring, but show that coherence does not always hold. We then relate this to the problem of gluing formal functions, where the patches do not cover the entire scheme.
We provide a uniform bound for the index of cohomology classes in $H^i(F, \mu_\ell^{\otimes i-1})$ when $F$ is a semiglobal field (i.e., a one-variable function field over a complete discretely valued field $K$). The bound is given in terms of the analogous data for the residue field of $K$ and its finitely generated extensions of transcendence degree at most one. We also obtain analogous bounds for collections of cohomology classes. Our results provide recursive formulas for function fields over higher rank complete discretely valued fields, and explicit bounds in some cases when the information on the residue field is known. In the process, we prove a splitting result for cohomology classes of degree 3 in the context of surfaces over finite fields.
Double coset spaces of adelic points on linear algebraic groups arise in the study of global fields; e.g., concerning local-global principles and torsors. A different type of double coset space plays a role in the study of semi-global fields such as p-adic function fields. This paper relates the two, by establishing adelic double coset spaces over semi-global fields; relating them to local-global principles and torsors; and providing explicit examples.
We study local-global principles for torsors under reductive linear algebraic groups over semi-global fields; i.e., over one variable function fields over complete discretely valued fields. We provide conditions on the group and the semiglobal field under which the local-global principle holds, and we compute the obstruction to the local-global principle in certain classes of examples. Using our description of the obstruction, we give the first example of a semisimple simply connected group over a semi-global field where the local-global principle fails. Our methods include patching and R-equivalence.
We investigate local-global principles for Galois cohomology, in the context of function fields of curves over semi-global fields. This extends work of Kato's on the case of function fields of curves over global fields.
We consider local-global principles for rational points on varieties, in particular torsors, over one-variable function fields over complete discretely valued fields. There are several notions of such principles, arising either from the valuation theory of the function field, or from the geometry of a regular model of the function field. Our results compare the corresponding obstructions, proving in particular that a local-global principle with respect to valuations implies a local-global principle with respect to a sufficiently fine regular model.
We introduce and study a class of field extensions that we call pre-Galois; viz. extensions that become Galois after some linearly disjoint Galois base change. Among them are geometrically Galois extensions of k(T), with k a field: extensions that become Galois and remain of the same degree after passing to the algebraic closure of k. We develop a pre-Galois theory that includes a Galois correspondence, and investigate the corresponding variants of the inverse Galois problem. We provide answers in situations where the classical analogs are not known. In particular, for every finite simple group, some power is a geometric Galois group over k, and is a pre-Galois group over k if k is Hilbertian. For every finite group G, the same conclusion holds for G itself (n=1) if k is the maximal abelian extension E of the rationals and G has a weakly rigid tuple of conjugacy classes; and then G is a regular Galois group over an extension of E of degree dividing the order of Out(G). We also show that the inverse problem for pre-Galois extensions over a field k (that every finite group is a pre-Galois group over k) is equivalent to the a priori stronger inverse Galois problem over k, and similarly for the geometric vs. regular variants.
We determine the absolute differential Galois group of the field $\mathbb{C}(x)$ of rational functions: It is the free proalgebraic group on a set of cardinality $|\mathbb{C}|$. This solves a longstanding open problem posed by B.H. Matzat. For the proof we develop a new characterization of free proalgebraic groups in terms of split embedding problems, and we use patching techniques in order to solve a very general class of differential embedding problems. Our result about $\mathbb{C}(x)$ also applies to rational function fields over more general fields of coefficients.
In this paper we study local-global principles for tori over semi-global fields, which are one variable function fields over complete discretely valued fields. In particular, we show that for principal homogeneous spaces for tori over the underlying discrete valuation ring, the obstruction to a local-global principle with respect to discrete valuations can be computed using methods coming from patching. We give a sufficient condition for the vanishing of the obstruction, as well as examples were the obstruction is nontrivial or even infinite. A major tool is the notion of a flasque resolution of a torus.
We study the structure of the absolute differential Galois group of a rational function field over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. In particular, we relate the behavior of differential embedding problems to the condition that the absolute differential Galois group is free as a proalgebraic group. Building on this, we prove Matzat's freeness conjecture in the case that the field of constants is algebraically closed of countably infinite transcendence degree over the rationals. This is the first known case of the twenty year old conjecture.
We study the relationship between the local and global Galois theory of function fields over a complete discretely valued field. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for local separable extensions to descend to global extensions, and for the local absolute Galois group to inject into the global absolute Galois group. As an application we obtain a local-global principle for the index of a variety over such a function field. In this context we also study algebraic versions of van Kampen's theorem, describing the global absolute Galois group as a pushout of local absolute Galois groups.
We introduce a notion of refinements in the context of patching, in order to obtain new results about local-global principles and field invariants in the context of quadratic forms and central simple algebras. The fields we consider are finite extensions of the fraction fields of two-dimensional complete domains that need not be local. Our results in particular give the u-invariant and period-index bound for these fields, as consequences of more general abstract results.
We study the existence of zero-cycles of degree one on varieties that are defined over a function field of a curve over a complete discretely valued field. In particular, we show that local-global principles hold for such zero-cycles provided that local-global principles hold for the existence of rational points over extensions of the function field. This assertion is analogous to a known result concerning varieties over number fields. We also show that our results hold more generally in the henselian case.
We solve the inverse differential Galois problem over the fraction field of $k[[t,x]]$ and use this to solve split differential embedding problems over $k((t))(x)$ that are induced from $k(x)$. The proofs use patching as well as prior results on inverse problems and embedding problems.
We solve the inverse differential Galois problem over differential fields with a large field of constants of infinite transcendence degree over ${\mathbb Q}$. More generally, we show that over such a field, every split differential embedding problem can be solved. In particular, we solve the inverse differential Galois problem and all split differential embedding problems over ${\mathbb Q}_p(x)$.
We introduce the notion of differential torsors, which allows the adaptation of constructions from algebraic geometry to differential Galois theory. Using these differential torsors, we set up a general framework for applying patching techniques in differential Galois theory over fields of characteristic zero. We show that patching holds over function fields over the complex numbers. As the main application, we prove the solvability of all differential embedding problems over complex function fields, thereby providing new insight on the structure of the absolute differential Galois group, i.e., the fundamental group of the underlying Tannakian category.
In this paper, we survey the major contributions of Abhyankar to the development of the theory of fundamental groups and Galois covers in positive characteristic. We first discuss the current status of four conjectures of Abhyankar about Galois covers in positive characteristic. Then we discuss research directions inspired by Abhyankar's work, including many open problems.