Torsion points of Drinfeld modules over large algebraic extensions of finitely generated function fields (Q2031277)

\textit{W.-D. Geyer} and \textit{M. Jarden} considered in [Isr. J. Math. 31, 257--297 (1978; Zbl 0406.14025)] torsion points of elliptic curves defined over some class of infinitely generated fields over their prime fields. Furthermore, they conjectured that the same results obtained over elliptic curves hold for abelian varieties. The aim of the paper under review is to prove some results for Drinfeld modules analogous to the conjecture of Geyer and Jarden. Let \(K\) be an algebraic function field of one variable over the finite field of \(q\) elements \({\mathbb F}_q\). Let \(\tilde K\) be a fixed algebraic closure of \(K\) and let \(K^{\mathrm{sep}}\) be the separable closure of \(K\) in \(\tilde K\). For a positive integer \(e\), let \(\sigma =(\sigma_1,\ldots,\sigma_e)\in\mathrm{Gal}(K^{\mathrm{sep}}/K)^e\) be an \(e\)-tuple. Set \(\tilde K(\sigma)\) and \(K^{\mathrm{sep}}(\sigma)\) be the fixed fields in \(\tilde K\) and \(K^{\mathrm{sep}}\) by \(\sigma\), respectively. Let \(\infty\) be a fixed place of \(K\), and let \(A\) be the ring of elements of \(K\) which are regular outside \(\infty\). Let \(L\) be a field containing \({\mathbb F}_q\) and let \(\iota\colon A\to L\) be a fixed injective ring homomorphism. Assume that \(L\) is finitely generated over \(K\). The main result is the following. For almost all \(\sigma\in\mathrm{Gal} (L^{\mathrm{sep}}/L)^e\) (in the sense of the Haar measure) and for every Drinfeld \(A\)-module \(\varphi\) defined over \(\tilde L(\sigma)\) with \(\mathrm{End}_{\tilde L}(\varphi)=A\), we have: (1) If \(e=1\), the group \(_{\varphi}\tilde L(\sigma)_{\mathrm{tor}}\) is infinite and there exist infinitely many non-zero prime ideals \(P\) of \(A\) such that \(_{\varphi}\tilde L(\sigma)[P]\neq 0\). (2) If \(e\geq 2\), the group \(_{\varphi}\tilde L(\sigma)_{\mathrm{tor}}\) is finite. (3) The group \(_{\varphi}\tilde L(\sigma)[P^{\infty}]:=\bigcup_{n=1}^{\infty} {_{\varphi}\tilde L(\sigma)} [P^n]\) is finite for every non-zero prime ideal \(P\) of \(A\). Here \(_{\varphi}\tilde L(\sigma)\) denotes the structure as an \(A\)-module and \(_{\varphi}\tilde L(\sigma)[P]\) denotes the \(P\)-torsion. The difference between the cases \(e=1\) and \(e\geq 2\) arises from the fact that \(\sum_P N(P)^{-e}\) diverges for \(e=1\) and converges for \(e\geq 2\), where the sum runs over all non-zero prime ideals \(P\) of \(A\) and where \(N(P):=|A/P|\). In order to prove the main result, the authors prove that it suffices to show some statements on each Drinfeld module over \(L\) and then they derive these statements in the last section.