A Note on Hilbert's "Geometric" Tenth Problem

Publication date 20 September 2019

Abstract: This paper explores undecidability in theories of positive characteristic function fields in the "geometric" language of rings

m a t h c a l L_{F} = 0, 1, +, c d o t, F

, with a unary predicate

F

for nonconstant elements. In particular we are motivated by a question of Fehm on the decidability of

m b o x {T h}_{e x i s t s} (m a t h b b F_{p} (t); m a t h c a l L_{F})

; equivalently, that of

m b o x {T h}_{e x i s t s} (m a t h b b F_{p} (t); m a t h c a l L_{r})

without parameters. We indicate how to generalise existing machinery to prove the undecidability of

m b o x {T h}_{f o r a l l^{1} e x i s t s} (K; m a t h c a l L_{F})

without parameters, where

K

is the function field of a curve over an algebraic extension of

m a t h b b F_{p}

, not algebraically closed. We discuss the problem (and its geometric implications) further in this context too.

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