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Xander Faber

Publications and source records attributed to Xander Faber.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Compressive Domains and a Bound for the Number of Components of the Fixed Locus of a Self-Map of the Berkovich Line

We introduce the notion of a "compressive domain" for the action of a rational function on the Berkovich projective line over a complete nontrivially-valued algebraically closed nonarchimedean field. We prove that such a domain always contains a classical fixed point, and we leverage this fact to give a sharp upper bound for the number of connected components of the fixed locus of a rational function. We give a second proof for polynomial functions that uses a previously unpublished mass formula of Rivera-Letelier. Finally, we give an explicit formula for the crucial weight inside a compressive domain as a function of the number of classical fixed points and boundary points.

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arXiv2026

Structure of the Components of the Fixed Locus of a Self-Map of the Berkovich Line

We describe the local and global structure of the fixed locus for the action of a rational function on the Berkovich projective line over a complete nontrivially-valued algebraically closed nonarchimedean field. This includes a bound for the number of connected components that is sharp when the residue characteristic is large or zero. The case of small nonzero residue characteristic will be treated in a subsequent article.

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arXiv2024

Ramified Approximation and Semistable Reduction

Let $K$ be a complete discretely valued field. An extension $L/K$ is "weakly totally ramified" if the residue extension is purely inseparable. We sharpen a result of Ax by showing that any Galois-invariant disk in the algebraic closure of $K$ contains an element that generates a separable weakly totally ramified extension. As an application, we prove that elliptic curves and dynamical systems on $\mathbb{P}^1$ achieve semistable reduction over a separable weakly totally ramified extension of the base field. We also obtain several arithmetic consequences for torsion points on elliptic curves and preperiodic points for dynamical systems.

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arXiv2022

On the Maximum Gonality of a Curve over a Finite Field

The gonality of a smooth geometrically connected curve over a field $k$ is the smallest degree of a nonconstant $k$-morphism from the curve to the projective line. In general, the gonality of a curve of genus $g \ge 2$ is at most $2g - 2$. Over finite fields, a result of F.K. Schmidt from the 1930s can be used to prove that the gonality is at most $g+1$. Via a mixture of geometry and computation, we improve this bound: for a curve of genus $g \ge 5$ over a finite field, the gonality is at most $g$. For genus $g = 3$ and $g = 4$, the same result holds with exactly $217$ exceptions: There are two curves of genus $4$ and gonality $5$, and $215$ curves of genus $3$ and gonality $4$. The genus-$4$ examples were found in other papers, and we reproduce their equations here; in supplementary material, we provide equations for the genus-$3$ examples.

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arXiv2022

New families satisfying the Dynamical Uniform Boundedness Principle over function fields

We extend a technique, originally due to the first author and Poonen, for proving cases of the Strong Uniform Boundedness Principle (SUBP) in algebraic dynamics over function fields of positive characteristic. The original method applied to unicritical polynomials for which the characteristic does not divide the degree. We show that many new 1-parameter families of polynomials satisfy the SUBP, including the family of all quadratic polynomials in even characteristic. We also give a new family of non-polynomial, non-Latt\`es rational functions that satisfies the SUBP.

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arXiv2022

On abelian covers of the projective line with fixed gonality and many rational points

A smooth geometrically connected curve over the finite field $\mathbb{F}_q$ with gonality $\gamma$ has at most ${\gamma(q+1)}$ rational points. The first author and Grantham conjectured that there exist curves of every sufficiently large genus with gonality $\gamma$ that achieve this bound. In this paper, we show that this bound can be achieved for an infinite sequence of genera using abelian covers of the projective line. We also argue that abelian covers will not suffice to prove the full conjecture.

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arXiv2021

On Integers Whose Sum is the Reverse of their Product

We determine all pairs of positive integers $(a,b)$ such that $a+b$ and $a \times b$ have the same decimal digits in reverse order: \[ (2,2), (9,9), (3,24), (2,47), (2,497), (2,4997), (2,49997), \ldots \] We use deterministic finite automata to describe our approach, which naturally extends to all other numerical bases. Our automata are a variation on the notion of Young graphs, which were introduced by Sloane to study ``reverse multiples''.

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arXiv2020

Cross-Ratios of Scheme-Valued Points

The classical theory of the cross-ratio is a beautiful case study of the moduli of ordered points of the projective line and of invariants of the action of $PGL_2$. We generalize the theory of the cross-ratio to the setting of $S$-valued points for an arbitrary scheme $S$. To accomplish this goal, we provide a comprehensive and computationally focused treatment of automorphisms of projective space over $S$, of equalizers in the category of schemes, and of vanishing loci of sections of line bundles. Most of these ideas exist in the literature, though not with the level of detail or generality that we require. After introducing the notion of a "strongly distinct" pair of morphisms, we define the cross-ratio of 4-tuples of pairwise strongly distinct $S$-valued points of the projective line -- which is valued in the units of the ring of global functions on the scheme $S$ -- and show that it enjoys all of the familiar properties of the cross-ratio.

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arXiv2020

Ternary and Quaternary Curves of Small Fixed Genus and Gonality with Many Rational Points

We extend the computations from our previous paper arXiv:2005.07054 to determine the maximum number of rational points on a curve over $\mathbb{F}_3$ and $\mathbb{F}_4$ with fixed gonality and small genus. We find, for example, that there is no curve of genus 5 and gonality 6 over a finite field. We propose two conjectures based on our data. First, an optimal curve of genus $g$ has gonality at most $\lfloor \frac{g+3}{2} \rfloor$. Second, a curve of gonality $\gamma$ and large genus over $\mathbb{F}_q$ has $\gamma(q+1)$ rational points.

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arXiv2020

Totally $T$-adic functions of small height

Let $\mathbb{F}_q(T)$ be the field of rational functions in one variable over a finite field. We introduce the notion of a totally $T$-adic function: one that is algebraic over $\mathbb{F}_q(T)$ and whose minimal polynomial splits completely over the completion $\mathbb{F}_q(\!(T)\!)$. We give two proofs that the height of a nonconstant totally $T$-adic function is bounded away from zero, each of which provides a sharp lower bound. We spend the majority of the paper providing explicit constructions of totally $T$-adic functions of small height (via arithmetic dynamics) and minimum height (via geometry and computer search). We also execute a large computer search that proves certain kinds of totally $T$-adic functions of minimum height over $\mathbb{F}_2(T)$ do not exist. The problem of whether there exist infinitely many totally $T$-adic functions of minimum positive height over $\mathbb{F}_q(T)$ remains open. Finally, we consider analogues of these notions under additional integrality hypotheses.

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arXiv2019

An alternate proof of idempotent relations among periodic points and quotients

We give a short proof of an idempotent relation formula for counting periodic points of endomorphisms defined over finite fields. The original proof of this result, due to Walton, uses formal manipulation of arithmetic zeta functions, whereas we deduce the result directly from a related theorem of Kani and Rosen.

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arXiv2016

A large arboreal Galois representation for a cubic postcritically finite polynomial

We give a complete description of the arboreal Galois representation of a certain postcritically finite cubic polynomial over a large class of number fields and for a large class of basepoints. This is the first such example that is not conjugate to a power map, Chebyshev polynomial, or Latt\`es map. The associated Galois action on an infinite ternary rooted tree has Hausdorff dimension bounded strictly between that of the infinite wreath product of cyclic groups and that of the infinite wreath product of symmetric groups. We deduce a zero-density result for prime divisors in an orbit under this polynomial. We also obtain a zero-density result for the set of places of convergence of Newton's method for a certain cubic polynomial, thus resolving the first nontrivial case of a conjecture of Faber and Voloch.

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arXiv2013

Degenerations of Complex Dynamical Systems II: Analytic and Algebraic Stability

We study pairs $(f, \Gamma)$ consisting of a non-Archimedean rational function $f$ and a finite set of vertices $\Gamma$ in the Berkovich projective line, under a certain stability hypothesis. We prove that stability can always be attained by enlarging the vertex set $\Gamma$. As a byproduct, we deduce that meromorphic maps preserving the fibers of a rationally-fibered complex surface are algebraically stable after a proper modification. The first article in this series examined the limit of the equilibrium measures for a degenerating 1-parameter family of rational functions on the Riemann sphere. Here we construct a convergent countable-state Markov chain that computes the limit measure. A classification of the periodic Fatou components for non-Archimedean rational functions, due to Rivera-Letelier, plays a key role in the proofs of our main theorems. The appendix contains a proof of this classification for all tame rational functions.

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arXiv2013

Preperiodic points for quadratic polynomials over quadratic fields

To each quadratic number field $K$ and each quadratic polynomial $f$ with $K$-coefficients, one can associate a finite directed graph $G(f,K)$ whose vertices are the $K$-rational preperiodic points for $f$, and whose edges reflect the action of $f$ on these points. This paper has two main goals. (1) For an abstract directed graph $G$, classify the pairs $(K,f)$ such that the isomorphism class of $G$ is realized by $G(f,K)$. We succeed completely for many graphs $G$ by applying a variety of dynamical and Diophantine techniques. (2) Give a complete description of the set of isomorphism classes of graphs that can be realized by some $G(f,K)$. A conjecture of Morton and Silverman implies that this set is finite. Based on our theoretical considerations and a wealth of empirical evidence derived from an algorithm that is developed in this paper, we speculate on a complete list of isomorphism classes of graphs that arise from quadratic polynomials over quadratic fields.

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arXiv2013

Topology and Geometry of the Berkovich Ramification Locus for Rational Functions

Given a nonconstant holomorphic map f: X -> Y between compact Riemann surfaces, one of the first objects we learn to construct is its ramification divisor R_f, which describes the locus at which f fails to be locally injective. The divisor R_f is a finite formal linear combination of points of X that is combinatorially constrained by the Hurwitz formula. Now let k be an algebraically closed field that is complete with respect to a nontrivial non-Archimedean absolute value. For example, k = C_p. Here the role of a Riemann surface is played by a projective Berkovich analytic curve. As these curves have many points that are not algebraic over k, some new (non-algebraic) ramification behavior appears for maps between them. For example, the ramification locus is no longer a divisor, but rather a closed analytic subspace. This article initiates a detailed study of the ramification locus for self-maps f: P^1 -> P^1. This simplest first case has the benefit of being approachable by concrete (and often combinatorial) techniques.

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