Galois groups over rational function fields over skew fields (Q2213057)

The major conjecture in Galois theory has been the Inverse Galois Problem over a given field \(k\) \((IGP/k)\) which asks whether every finite group \(G\) is isomorphic to the Galois group of some Galois extension of \(k\). This problem goes back to Hilbert who realized \(S_n\) and \(A_n \) over \(Q\). Many more groups have been realized over \(Q\) since 1892, namely abelian groups, nilpotent groups and solvable groups are all Galois groups of number fields (for more details, see the following reference books: [\textit{M. D. Fried} and \textit{M. Jarden}, Field arithmetic. Revised by Moshe Jarden. Berlin: Springer (2008; Zbl 1145.12001); \textit{C. U. Jensen} et al., Generic polynomials. Constructive aspects of the inverse Galois problem. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2002; Zbl 1042.12001); \textit{G. Malle} and \textit{B. H. Matzat}, Inverse Galois theory. Berlin: Springer (2018; Zbl 1406.12001); \textit{J.-P. Serre}, Topics in Galois theory. Notes written by Henri Darmon. Boston, MA etc.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers (1992; Zbl 0746.12001); \textit{H. Völklein}, Groups as Galois groups: an introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press (1996; Zbl 0868.12003)]. The modern approach consists in studying rather what is called the Regular Inverse Galois Problem \((RIGP/k)\): is every finite group \(G\) the Galois group of some Galois extension \(K/k(t)\), with \(t\) transcendental over \(k\) and \(k\) algebraically closed in \(K\); that is, geometrically it amounts to finding a Galois covers \(X\rightarrow \mathbb{P}^1\) of group \(G\), defined over \(k\). If \(k\) is a Hilbert field, then every finite group that occurs as the Galois group of a Galois extension of \(k(t)\), also occurs over \(k\). In particular, a positive answer to \((RIGP/k)\) implies a positive answer to \((IGP/k)\). \textit{F. Pop} [Ann. Math. (2) 144, No. 1, 1--34 (1996; Zbl 0862.12003)] introduced the notion of ample (or large) field \(k\) and which means that any smooth geometrically irreducible \(k\)-curve has either zero or infinitely many \(k\)-rational points. He then demonstrated that the \(RIGP/k\) has a positive answer as soon as \(k\) contains an ample field. Recall that in the case of skew fields, the notion of Galois extension is to be considered in the sense from Artin: an extension \(L/k\) is called Galois if the field of invariants of \(L\) under the action of \(\Aut (L/k)\) is equal to \(k\). Let \(H\) be a skew field of finite dimension over its center \(k\) with \(k\) infinite, \(H[X]\) the ring of polynomial functions over \(H\) in the variable \(X\) and \(H_c[t]\) the polynomial ring, where \(t\) is a central indeterminate, commuting with the coefficients (take the null derivation and the identity endomorphism in Ore's construction [\textit{Ø. Ore}, Ann. Math. (2) 34, 480--508 (1933; Zbl 0007.15101)]). It is clear that these rings are isomorphic if \(H\) is commutative. \textit{B. Deschamps} and \textit{F. Legrand} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 224, No. 5, Article ID 106240, 13 p. (2020; Zbl 1480.12004)] studied the Inverse Galois Problem over the field of fractions \(H_c(t)\) of \(H_c [t]\). In particular, they showed that the \(IGP/H_c(t)\) has a positive answer if \(k\) contains an ample field, and consequently Pop's profound result cited above is extended. In the same vein, the main result of the paper under review consists in treating the \(IGP/H(X)\), where \(H(X)\) is the field of fractions of \(H[X]\). More precisely, using [loc. cit., Theorem B], the authors of this paper (under review) showed that if the center of \(H\) contains an ample field, then every finite group is the Galois group of a Galois extension of \(H(X)\). As a special (but fundamental) case of the above result is that the \(IGP/H(X)\) has an affirmative answer, when \(H\) is the skew field of Hamilton's quaternions.