A Hopf algebraic approach to the Picard-Vessiot theory (Q1118662)

Picard-Vessiot theory is a Galois theory of linear differential equations over a differential field of characteristic zero with an algebraically closed field of constants. Basic references are the books by \textit{I. Kaplansky} [An Introduction to Differential Algebra (Hermann, Paris, 1st ed. 1957; Zbl 0083.03301; 2nd ed. 1976)] and by \textit{E. Kolchin} [Differential Algebra and Algebraic Groups (1973; Zbl 0264.12102)]. The paper under review gives a Hopf algebraic approach. The basic notion is a C-ferential field. For a cocommutative coalgebra C over a field R, this is a field extension K/R and an R-linear map \(\psi\) : \(C\otimes_ RK\to K\) such that (C,\(\psi)\) measures K to K, i.e. \(\psi (c\otimes k\ell)=\sum \psi (c_ 1\otimes k)\psi (c_ 2\otimes \ell)\), where \(\Delta c=\sum c_ 1\otimes c_ 2\), and \(\psi (c\otimes 1)=\epsilon (c)1\). C is also required to have a specified group-like element g and \(\psi (g\otimes k)=k\) for k in K. Picard-Vessiot extensions are defined intrinsically for C-ferential extensions L/K. There is a Hopf algebra associated to such an extension. A Galois theory emerges, whose restatement in terms of affine group schemes resembles the Galois theory of Picard-Vessiot extensions in the books cited above. Several sections are devoted to defining minimal splitting fields (for a C-ferential module over K), and to discussing their existence and uniqueness. The discussion involves whether or not the bialgebra \(T(C^+)\) is a Birkhoff-Witt coalgebra (always true in characteristic zero). It should be noted that the author's generalization allows for positive characteristic, for fields with not necessarily commuting derivations, and for fields with a set of higher derivations.