Automata and transcendence in positive characteristic (Q1969341)

Let \( K \) be a field of positive characteristic \( p\). When \( K \) is finite, it is well-known that a power series \( \alpha \) of \( K((x)) \) is algebraic over \( K(x) \) if and only if its ``\(q\)-kernel'' \( {\mathcal N}(\alpha) \) is finite (moreover \( {\mathcal N}(\alpha) \) is the set of states of an automata that recognizes \(\alpha\)) [\textit{G. Christol, T. Kamae, M. Mendès France} and \textit{G. Rauzy}, Bull. Soc. Math. Fr. 108, 401-419 (1980; Zbl 0472.10035)]. This result is easily generalized to perfect fields \( K \) by asking for the \( K \) vector space \( {\mathcal V}\)(\(\alpha\)) spanned by \( {\mathcal N}(\alpha) \) to be finitely dimensional. Here is given an effective version of this result. Namely effective bounds involving only the degree and the height of \( \alpha \) are given for the rank of \( {\mathcal V}(\alpha) \) and for the distance from \( 0 \) to \( {\mathcal V}(\alpha)-\{0\}\) for the \(P\)-metric where \(P\) is any place of \(K(x)\). As an application a general result of ``weak'' transcendence is given. It exhibits sufficient conditions under which certain sequences in a function field over \( K \) converge, up to conjugacy, to a transcendental limit. Then some ``automata'' proofs of already known transcendence results are given for instance for the power series counterpart of \( e\).