Essential dimension in mixed characteristic (Q1621508)

The main purpose of the paper under review is to study the essential dimension \(\mathrm{ed}_{\mathbb{F}}(G)\) of a finite group \(G\) over a field \(\mathbb{F}\), which is a quite active subject since one of authors' paper [\textit{J. Buhler} and \textit{Z. Reichstein}, Compos. Math. 106, No. 2, 159--179 (1997; Zbl 0905.12003)] has been appeared in 1997. A finite group is called \textit{weakly tame} at a prime \(p\) if it has no non-trivial normal \(p\)-subgroups. By convention, every finite group is weakly tame at 0. Let \(R\) be a discrete valuation ring with residue field \(k\) and fraction field \(K\). The authors show that if a finite group \(G\) is weakly tame at \(\mathrm{char}(k)\), then \(\mathrm{ed}_{K}(G)\geqslant \mathrm{ed}_{k}(G)\). In deed, the authors prove a more general statement of this type, which states that if \(\mathcal{X}\longrightarrow \mathrm{Spec}(R)\) is a weakly tame étal gerbe, then \(\mathrm{ed}_{K}(\mathcal{X}_{K})\geqslant \mathrm{ed}_{k}(\mathcal{X}_{k})\). This result strengthens Theorem 5.11 of the authors' previous work [J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 13, No. 4, 1079--1112 (2011; Zbl 1234.14003)]. Some applications, related to the conjecture of A. Ledet on the essential dimension of the cyclic group of order \(p^{n}\), have been provided.