Rational places on algebraic function fields over generalized closed fields (Q1902091)

The main goal of the paper is to generalize the theorem of Lang, asserting that a formally real finitely generated field extension of a real closed field admits a rational place, to the class of ``closed'' fields introduced by \textit{R. Brown} [J. Algebra 169, 751-774 (1994; Zbl 0826.12005)]. These closed fields do not need to be formally real; some examples are the following: algebraically closed fields of characteristic zero, real closed fields, \(p\)-adically closed fields in the sense of Ax and Kochen. The notion of formally real extension involved in Lang's theorem is replaced by that of admissible extension in the following way: considering a field \(F\) equipped with a nontrivial extended absolute value \(\varphi\) such that the residue class field of the valuation ring \(\varphi^{-1} (\mathbb{R})\) has characteristic zero, a field extension \(E\) over \(F\) is admissible if \(E\) has an extended absolute value \(\Phi\) such that \((E, \Phi)\) is a Brown's admissible extension of \((F, \varphi)\) (loc. cit., definition 4.1). The paper presents short proofs of the place existence theorem, homomorphism theorem and imbedding theorem for a finitely generated field extension \(K\) of a closed field \(F\). They rely on a technical theorem generalizing Knebusch's combined form of Lang's place existence theorem and Lang's imbedding theorem [see \textit{M. Knebusch}, Comment. Math. Helv. 47, 260-269 (1972; Zbl 0257.12102), theorem 6.1, p. 266]. The arguments in the paper use classical valuation theory and the results overlap those by \textit{A. Prestel} and \textit{P. Roquette} previously obtained for algebraic function fields over \(p\)-adically closed fields by means of model theoretic methods [Formally \(p\)-adic fields, Lect. Notes Math. 1050 (Springer-Verlag, Berlin 1984; Zbl 0523.12016)].