The group of automorphisms of the function fields of the curve \(x^n+y^m+1=0\) (Q1273202)

Let \(k\) be an algebraically closed field of characteristic \(p \geq 0\). Let \(F _{n, m}\) denote the function field of the affine curve \(x ^n+ y ^m+ 1= 0\) with \(n\) and \(m\) integers relatively prime to \(p\). If \(g\), the genus of \(F _{n, m}\), is greater than one, then \(G _{n, m}\), the group of automorphisms of \(F _{n, m}\), is finite. The purpose of this paper is the determination of \(G _{n, m}\) with \(n> m\), \(n> 2\), \((n, m) \neq (4, 3)\) and \(p \neq 2, 3\). We have that \(\mu (n) \times \mu(m) \subseteq G _{n, m}\), where \(\mu(\ell)\) denotes the cyclic group of the \(\ell\)th-roots of unity. A complete structure of \(G _{n, m}\) is obtained. In particular it is proved that \[ G _{n, m}= \mu(n) \times \mu(m)\quad\text{iff}\quad m \nmid n. \] Furthermore, if \(n - 1\) is a power of the characteristic, then the group order exceeds the Hurwitz bound. When the characteristic is \(0\) the problem is easy since there is no wild ramification and \(G _{n, m}\) can be calculated by bounding its order using the Riemann-Hurwitz formula. In case of arbitrary characteristic, the structure of \(G _{n, m}\) is obtained using: Kummer extensions, basis of holomorphic differentials of the field \(F _{n, m}\), gap numbers of zero divisors of \(x\) and of \(y\), the ideas of \textit{H.-W. Leopoldt} [J. Number Theory 56, No. 2, 256-282, Art. No. 0017 (1996; Zbl 0854.11062)], the decomposition group of a zero divisor of \(y\) and the characterization of subgroups of projective linear groups found by \textit{R. Valentini} and \textit{M. Madan} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 318, 156-177 (1980; Zbl 0426.12016)].