Mod \(\ell\) representations of arithmetic fundamental groups. I: An analog of Serre's conjecture for function fields (Q2572639)

Let \(l\) be a prime number, and let \(\mathbb F\) be a finite field of characteristic \(l\). Let \(X\) be a smooth, geometrically irreducible curve defined over a finite field \(k\) of characteristic \(p\neq l\), and let \(\bar{\rho}:\pi_1(X)\rightarrow \text{GL}_n({\mathbb F})\) be a continuous representation. Under some technical assumptions the authors prove that \(\bar{\rho}\) lifts to a representation \(\rho:\pi_1(X\setminus T)\rightarrow \text{GL}_n(W({\mathbb F}))\), where \(T\) is a finite set of places of \(X\) and \(W({\mathbb F})\) are the Witt vectors over \(\mathbb F\). As an application of results proved by \textit{L. Lafforgue} [Invent. Math. 147, No.~1, 1--241 (2002; Zbl 1038.11075)] they find that any such \(\bar{\rho}\) is automorphic, which should be seen as an analogue of \textit{J.-P. Serre's} conjecture, that any two-dimensional, continuous, irreducible, odd representation of the absolute Galois group \(G_{\mathbb Q}\) over \(\mathbb F\) arises from a new form [Duke Math. J. 54, 179--230 (1987; Zbl 0641.10026)].