Differential Galois theory. II (Q1377643)

[For Part I see Ill. J. Math. 42, No. 4, 678-699 (1998; Zbl 0916.03028). Part III is reviewed below.] In Part I, the author developed a new theory of differential Galois extensions, generalising Kolchin's theory of strongly normal extensions. This theory is briefly summarized in the introduction and is then applied towards a twofold aim. One result describes the structure of the differential closure \(\widehat{F}\) of a differential field \(F\) of characteristic \(0\). It is shown that \(\widehat{F}\) is the union of an increasing chain of differential fields \(F_{\alpha}\) (with \(\alpha < \gamma\)) where \(F_0 = F\) and, for every \(\alpha < \alpha + 1 < \gamma\), \(F_{\alpha + 1}\) equals \(\text{acl}(F_{\alpha})\), or is a differential Galois extension with a connected differential Galois group, or is \(F_{\alpha} \langle a \rangle\) for some \(a\) whose type over \(F_{\alpha}\) is stationary, trivial and of Morley rank 1. The other theorem deals with a superstable differential field \(F\) and proves that such a field has no proper differential Galois extension. The proofs involve methods of geometric stability theory, Buium's analysis of finite-dimensional differential algebraic groups and some further results of Cassidy on commutative unipotent differential algebraic groups.