Coefficients of exponential functions attached to Drinfeld modules of rank 2 (Q451993)

Denote by \(A=\mathbb{F}_q[T]\) the polynomial ring in the variable \(T\) over the finite field of \(q\) elements, \(K=\mathbb{F}_q(T)\) its quotient field, \(K_\infty = \mathbb{F}_q((\frac{1}{T}))\) its completion at the valuation \(v\) uniformized by \(\frac{1}{T}\), and \(C_\infty\) the completion of an algebraic closure of \(K_\infty\). Denote by \(\tau : x \mapsto x^q\) the \(q\)th power Frobenius map. A rank 2 Drinfeld \(A\)-module \(\phi\) over \(C_\infty\) is completely determined by \[ \phi_T = T + a_1\tau + a_2\tau^2, \] where \(a_1,a_2\in C_\infty\) and \(a_2\neq 0\). Its isomorphism class over \(C_\infty\) is determined by its \(j\)-invariant, \(j(\phi) := a_1^{q+1}/a_2\). By the uniformization theorem, to every such \(\phi\) is associated a rank 2 lattice \(\Lambda_\phi\subset C_\infty\), and an exponential function \(e_\phi : C_\infty \rightarrow C_\infty\) with zero set equal to \(\Lambda_\phi\) and satisfying \[ e_\phi(az) = \phi_a\circ e_\phi(z),\qquad \forall a\in A,\; z\in C_\infty. \] The exponential function can be normalized so that \(e'_\phi = 1\), and has an everywhere convergent power series expansion of the form \[ e_\phi(z) = \sum_{i=0}^\infty c_i z^{q^i}, \qquad c_i\in C_\infty. \] The purpose of this article is to study the valuations of the coefficients \(c_i\). It is known that these coefficients satisfy a recursion relation depending on \(a_1\) and \(a_2\), but deducing a closed form expression for their valuations (given in Corollary 2.8 and too long to list here) requires a painstaking analysis of a number of cases, depending on the valuation of \(j(\phi)\). As an application, consider each coefficient \(c_i\) as a function on Drinfeld's upper half plane \(\Omega := C_\infty - K_\infty\), where for each \(z\in\Omega\) we define \(c_i(z)\) to be the \(i\)th coefficient of the exponential function associated to the lattice \(A + Az \subset C_\infty\). This way \(c_i : \Omega \rightarrow C_\infty\) is a rigid analytic function invariant under the usual action of \(\mathrm{GL}_2(A)\) on \(\Omega\), known as a para-Eisenstein series. For each integer \(k\geq 0\), define the set \[ \mathcal{F}_k := \{z \in C_\infty \; : \; |z| = |z|_i = q^k\} \subset \Omega, \] where \(|z| := q^{-v(z)}\) and \(|z|_i := \inf_{x\in K_\infty} |z-x|\). It is known that every zero of the function \(c_i : \Omega \rightarrow C_\infty\) lies in the \(\mathrm{GL}_2(A)\)-orbit of a point in \(\mathcal{F}_k\), for some \(k\geq 0\). As an application of their results, the authors show that, if \(i\neq j\), then \(c_i\) and \(c_j\) have no common zeroes on \(\cup_{k\geq 1}\mathcal{F}_k\).