Action of the Galois group on the periods of certain Mumford curves (Q1805363)

In this paper, \(C\) is a cyclic Galois covering of \(\mathbb{P}^1_K\), where \(K\) is an algebraically closed field, complete with respect to a nonarchimedean valuation. It is assumed that \(C\) is a Mumford curve, i.e. admits a uniformization by a Schottky group \(\Gamma \subset \text{PGL}_2 (K)\). The Jacobian of \(C\) can be analytically constructed as \((K^\times)^g/R\); here \(g\) is the genus of \(C\), and the ``period lattice'' \(R\) is canonically isomorphic to the abelianized group \(\Gamma_{\text{ab}} = \Gamma/[\Gamma, \Gamma]\) [see e.g. \textit{L. Gerritzen} and \textit{M. van der Put}, ``Schottky groups and Mumford curves'', Lect. Notes Math. 817 (1980; Zbl 0442.14009)]. The aim of this paper is to study the structure of \(\Gamma_{\text{ab}}\) as a module under the Galois group \(\langle \sigma \rangle\) of the covering \(f : C \to \mathbb{P}^1_K\). The main result is that, as a \(\mathbb{Z} [b]/ \text{Tr} (\sigma)\)-module, \(\Gamma_{\text{ab}}\) is projective, more precisely a direct sum of \({r \over 2} - 1\) cyclic modules, where \(r\) is the number of ramification points of \(f\); it is free (of rank \({r \over 2} - 1)\) if and only if \(f\) is totally ramified. The proof consists essentially in a careful analysis of the map \(\overline f\) that is induced by \(f\) on suitable prestable reductions of \(C\) and \(\mathbb{P}^1_K\), and of properties of the associated intersection graphs. The paper is a somewhat condensed version of the author's Ph. D. thesis; for some of the proofs the reader is referred to this thesis (in particular lemma 4.18 and the relation to the de Rham cohomology of \(C\) in section 6).