Dilation of Newton polytope and \(p\)-adic estimate (Q633201)

Consider a degree \(d\) polynomial \(f\in\mathbb{F}_q[x_1,\ldots,x_n]\) for any prime power \(q\) and let \(\mathrm{ord}_q N(f)\) denote the \(q\)-divisibility of the number of \(\mathbb{F}_q\)-rational zeroes of \(f\). In [Am. J. Math. 86, 255--261 (1964; Zbl 0121.02003 )], \textit{J. Ax} gave the lower bound \(\mathrm{ord}_q N(f)\geq \frac{n}{d}-1\). In the present article, the author shows that this bound may be improved by respectively replacing \(n\) and \(d\) with the number of variables and degree of certain specializations of \(f\). The proof of this new bound relies on a result of \textit{A. Adolphson} and \textit{S. Sperber} [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 20, No. 4, 545--556 (1987; Zbl 0654.12011)], which relates \(\mathrm{ord}_q N(f)\) to the geometry of the Newton polytope of~\(f\).