On the \(p\)-adic section conjecture (Q1946188)

If \(k\) is any field, and \(X\) a geometrically connected, finite type \(k\)-scheme, then (with respected to a compatible choice of base points) there is a short exact sequence of profinite groups \[ 0\rightarrow \pi_1(X\times_k \bar{k})\rightarrow \pi_1(X)\rightarrow \pi_1(\text{Spec}(k))\rightarrow 0,\quad(*) \] where \(\pi_1\) denotes the étale fundamental group. The group \(\pi_1(X\times_k\bar{k})\) (resp.~\(\pi_1(X)\)) is called the geometric (resp.~arithmetic) fundamental group of \(X\). Note that \(\pi_1(\text{Spec}(k))\) is the absolute Galois group of \(k\) with respect to the algebraic closure of \(k\) determined by the choice of base points. If \(x\in X(k)\) is a rational point, then by functoriality, \(x\) defines a conjugacy class of sections of \((*)\). If \(k\) is a number field, then one of Grothendieck's famous ``anabelian'' conjectures is the ``section conjecture'': For a smooth, proper, geometrically connected curve \(X\) over \(k\) of genus \(\geq 2\), it predicts that the rational points of \(X\) correspond bijectively to the conjugacy classes of sections of the short exact sequence \((*)\). The short article under review addresses the same question when \(k\) is not a number field, but a finite extension of \(\mathbb{Q}_p\); this is the so-called ``\(p\)-adic section conjecture''. This article exhibits two conditions which would imply the truth of the \(p\)-adic section conjecture; they are adequately summarized in the abstract of the article: From the abstract: ``We prove that the analog of the Grothendieck anabelian section conjecture for curves holds true over a \(p\)-adic local field, if the following two assertions hold true. First, every section of the arithmetic fundamental group of a hyperbolic curve over a \(p\)-adic local field has an algebraic cycle class. Second, given a section of the cuspidally abelian absolute Galois group of the function field of such a curve, the corresponding section of the maximal \(\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}\)-elementary abelian quotient, and a neighborhood of the latter, then the index of the corresponding curve is prime-to-\(p\).''