Moduli spaces for families of rational maps on \(\mathbb P^1\) (Q1024535)

Let \(\phi : \mathbb P^1 \to \mathbb P^1\) be a rational map defined over a field \(K\), let \(N\) be a positive integer. A point \(P\in \mathbb P^1\) is called periodic of primitive period \(N\) if \(N\) is the smallest number such that \(\phi^N(P)=P\). The notion of a point of formal period \(N\) is a slight generalization of this notion. The points of formal period \(N\) are by definition the roots of the so called \(N\)th dynatomic polynomial for \(\phi\). Let \(M_d\) denote the moduli space parameterizing the rational maps of degree \(d\) up to coordinate change, i.~e., up to conjugacy by elements from \(\mathrm{PGL}_2(\overline K)\). The author constructs the moduli space \(M_d(N)\) parameterizing conjugacy classes of degree-\(d\) maps together with a point of formal period \(N\). One of the main results of the paper is Theorem~4.5 stating that \(M_{2}(N)\) is geometrically irreducible for \(N>1\). For a rational map \(\phi\) an element \(h \in \mathrm{PGL}_2(\overline K)\) is called an automorphism of \(\phi\) if \(h^{ - 1}\circ \phi \circ h=\phi\). Let \(p\) be a prime number, let \(\mathfrak C_p\) denote the cyclic group of order \(p\). Then the author considers the moduli space \(M_d(N, \mathfrak C_p)\) of rational maps of degree \(d\) with a point of formal period \(N\) having an automorphism of order \(p\). Another important result of the paper is Theorem~7.1, whose essence is expressed by Corollary~7.10 saying that for \(d\geq 2\) the moduli space \(M_d(pN, \mathfrak C_p)\) is reducible for all but finitely many prime integers \(N\). In the case of the field of zero characteristic it is reducible for all but finitely many positive integers \(N\). In particular the curves \(M_2(2N, \mathfrak C_2)\) are reducible for infinitely many \(N\). The paper consists of 9 sections. Section~1 is an introduction. An overview of the paper and its main results are given here. Some important notions and objects (\(N\)th dynatomic polynomial, points of formal period \(N\), moduli space \(M_d\), etc.) are defined and described in Section~2. In Section~3 a construction of moduli spaces with level structures is presented. An algebraic proof of the irreducibility of \(M_2(N)\) is given in Section~4 (Theorem~4.5). Section~5 deals with maps with automorphisms. In particular for a rational map \(\phi\) on \(\mathbb P^1\) and for its automorphism \(h\) the notion of \(h\)-periodic points as well as the notion of \(h\)-tuned dynatomic polynomials are introduced. In Section~6 basic properties of \(h\)-tuned dynatomic polynomials are studied. Section~7 contains another main result of the paper, i.~e., Theorem~7.1 and Corollary~7.10. It turns out that \(h\)-tuned dynatomic polynomials, which are defined as rational functions, are in fact polynomials, which justifies their name. In generic situation they turn out to be non-trivial divisors of dynatomic polynomials. Hence the latter are reducible and this leads to a constructive proof of the statements mentioned above. Section~8 provides complete factorizations of the dynatomic polynomials for the cases \(\phi(z)=z^d\) and \(\phi(z)=z^{-d}\). In these cases the dehomogenized dynatomic polynomials turn out to be products of certain cyclotomic polynomials. In Section~9 the author shows in Proposition~9.2 that \(M_2(N, \mathfrak{C}_2)\) is irreducible if \(2^N-1\) is a prime number.