Co-fibered products of algebraic curves (Q1040215)

This paper concerns obstructions to the existence of co-fibered products in the category of algebraic curves over an algebraically closed field \(k\). In terms of function fields, the question is as follows: given a function field \(k(C)\) of transcendence degree one, do there exist subfields \(k(C_1), k(C_2)\subset k(C)\) of transcendence degree one such that \(k(C_1)\cap k(C_2)=k\)? As the authors point out, it is easy to construct such subfields if one allows ramification in the extensions \(k(C)|k(C_i)\) (as long as \(k^*\) has an element of infinite order). The main point of the present paper is to provide examples in which the extensions are unramified when \(k=\mathbb{C}\). Using the theory of arithmetic groups, the authors give a criterion (Lemma 3.1) for the intersection of certain subfields of the function field of a Shimura variety to consist only of constants. Specializing to the case of Shimura curves, they use quaternion algebras to construct unramified covers of algebraic curves over \(\mathbb{C}\) for which the co-fibered product does not exist. They then present some specific examples in which the covering degrees are 3. Finally, a theorem of Margulis implies that their construction provides all counterexamples to the existence of co-fibered products for unramified covers of complex algebraic curves.