Liftable \(D_{4}\)-covers (Q948923)

Let \(k\) an algebraically closed field of characteristic \(p>0\). Let \(G\) be a finite group which is the extension of a cyclic group of order prime to \(p\) by a \(p\)-group. A local \(G\)-action is a faithful action \(\rho:G \hookrightarrow \text{Aut}_k(k[[t]])\). Such actions occur by localizing and completing Galois covers of curves in positive characteristic at a ramification point. The \textsl{local lifting problem} asks which local \(G\)-actions lift to characteristic zero. This paper gives the first examples of local \(G\)-actions which lift to characteristic zero, where \(G\) is a nonabelian \(p\)-group. The question whether such actions exist was asked by [\textit{M. Matignon}, Lifting Galois covers of a smooth curve. In: Problems from the workshop on automorphisms of curves. Rend. Sem. Math. Univ. Padova. 113, 25--30 (2005)]. The author proves liftability of a class of local \(D_4\)-actions, called supersimple, in characteristic \(2\). Here \(D_4\) is the dihedral group of order \(8\). Let \(\rho:G \hookrightarrow \text{Aut}_k(k[[t]])\) be a local \(G=D_4\) action in characteristic \(2\). With it, we may associate a \(G\)-Galois cover of smooth projective curves \(f:C\to {\mathbb{P}}^1\) in characteristic \(2\), which is totally branched over \(\infty\) and unramified elsewhere. The local action \(\rho\) is called supersimple if the quotient of \(C\) by the center of \(G\) has genus zero. The author gives a classification of these covers in term of a non-Galois quotient \(\bar{C}\to {\mathbb{P}}^1\) of degree \(4\). Such covers may be constructed explicitly by equations. The proof of the liftability combines explicit computations of equations with group-cohomology considerations.