Simple transcendental extensions of valued fields. III: The uniqueness property (Q1174389)

[For part II, cf. \textit{J. Ohm}, ibid. 25, 583-596 (1985; Zbl 0582.12014).] Let \((K_ 0,v_ 0)\) be a valued field and \(x\) be an indeterminate over \(K_ 0\). For any \(t\) in \(K_ 0(x)-K_ 0\), one can define an extension \(v_ 0^ t\) of \(v_ 0\) to a valuation of \(K_ 0(t)\) by: for all \(a_ 0,\ldots,a_ n\) in \(K_ 0\), \[ v_ 0^ t(a_ 0+a_ 1t+\cdots+a_ nt^ n)=\inf\{v_ 0(a_ i)| i=0,\ldots,n\}. \] The authors consider the following problem: given a valuation \(v\) of \(K_ 0(x)\) which extends \(v^ t_ 0\), does there exist a \(t'\) in \(K_ 0(x)-K_ 0\) such that \(v\) extends \(v_ 0^{t'}\) uniquely? The authors have previously proved that the answer is ``yes'' if rk \(v_ 0\) is 1. It is shown in this paper that the answer is also ``yes'' if \(v_ 0\) is henselian, and that the answer is ``no'' in general. The henselian result follows from the theorem that, for \(v_ 0\) henselian, \(v_ 0^ t\) extends uniquely to a valuation of \(K_ 0(x)\) whenever \(t\) has the form \(t=f(x)^ m/b\), where \(f(x)\) is irreducible in \(K_ 0[x]\), \(b\) is in \(K_ 0\), and \(m\geq 1\). The negative result follows from the observation that an affirmative answer to the uniqueness problem is equivalent to a fundamental equality, \(E=RID^ h\), relating some numerical invariants of the extension \(v/v_ 0\). By studying these invariants punctually at \(t\), the authors show that if there exists a \(t\) such that \(v/v_ 0^ t\) is unique, then \(v/v_ 0^{t'}\) is also unique for every \(t'\) of minimal deg such that \(v\) extends \(v_ 0^{t'}\).