Cuts and small extensions of abelian ordered groups (Q2153806)

In a linearly ordered abelian group \(\Gamma\), a cut is a pair \(D=(D^L,D^R)\) where \(D^L\) is an initial segment (i.e.\ \((y\in D^L\; \& \; x\leq y)\Rightarrow x\in D^L\)) and \(D^R=\Gamma\backslash D^L\). For example, let \(a\in \Gamma\) and set \(D^L=\{x\in \Gamma \; :\; x\leq a\}\) or \(D^L=\{x\in \Gamma \; :\; x< a\}\), in both cases \(D\) is said to be principal. Another example of cuts is that of ball cuts: let \(a\in \Gamma\) and \(H\) be a proper convex subgroup of \(\Gamma\), then we can let \(D^L=(a+H)^+=\{x\in \Gamma \; :\; \exists y\in H\; x\leq a+y\}\) (the \(b^+\) case) or \(D^L=(a+H)^-=\{x\in \Gamma \; :\; \forall y\in H\; x< a+y\}\)), (the \(b^-\) case). If \(D^L=(a+H)^+\) or \(D^L=(a+H)^-\), then \(D\) satisfies \(D^L+H\subseteq D^L\). More generally, the greatest convex subgroup \(H(D)\) of \(\Gamma\) such that \(D^L+H(D)\subseteq D^L\) is called the invariance group of \(D\). The cut \(D\) is a ball cut if, and only if, there is \(a\in D^L\) such that either \(D^L=(a+H(D))^+\), or \(D^L=(a+H(D))^-\). This is equivalent to saying that \(\left(D^L/H(D),D^R/H(D)\right)\) is a principal cut of \(\Gamma/H(D)\). Otherwise we say that \(D\) is a non-ball cut (in short a \(nb\) cut). Denote by \(\mathrm{Prin}(\Gamma)\) the set of all nonzero principal convex subgroups of \(\Gamma\), ordered by descending inclusion (a convex subgroup \(H\) is principal if there is \(a\in \Gamma\) such that \(H\) it is the smallest convex subgroup which contains \(a\)). Let \(H(D)'\) be the intersection of all elements of \(\mathrm{Prin}(\Gamma)\) which contain \(H(D)\). If \(H(D)\subsetneq H(D)'\), then we say that the cut \(D\) has a convexity gap; this is equivalent to saying that there is a smallest principal convex subgroup which strictly contains \(H(D)\). This is called the \(G\) case, the other one is called the \(NG\) case. In order to study the six types of cuts, the authors also define their covariance groups as follows. For every \(d\in D^L\) they let \(V_f(d)\) be the smallest convex subgroup which contains the symmetric subset \((D^L-d)\cap -(D^L-d)\). Then the final covariance group of \(D\) is \(V_f(D)=\bigcap_{d\in D^L} V_f(d)\), and its initial covariance group is \(V_i(D)=V_f(-D)\), where \(-D=(-D^R,-D^L)\). The group \(V_f(D)\) is said to be stable if there is \(d\in D^L\) such that \(V_f(D)=V_f(d)\), and \(V_i(D)\) is said to be stable if there is \(d\in -D^R\) such that \(V_i(D)=V_f(d)\). We have \(H(D)\subseteq V_f(D)\), \(V_i(D)=H(D)'\), either \(V_f(D)=H(D)\) or \(V_f(D)=H(D)'\) and either \(V_i(D)=H(D)\) or \(V_i(D)=H(D)'\). In the \(b^+ \, \&\, G\) case, we have \(V_f(D)=H(D)\), \(V_i(D)=H(D)'\), and both subgroups are stable. In the \(b^+ \, \&\, NG\) case, \(V_f(D)=H(D)\) is stable, \(V_i(D)=H(D)\) is unstable. In the \(b^- \, \&\, G\) case, we have \(V_f(D)=H(D)'\), \(V_i(D)=H(D)\), and both subgroups are stable. In the \(b^- \, \&\, NG\) case, \(V_f(D)=H(D)\) is unstable, \(V_i(D)=H(D)\), is stable. In the \(nb \, \&\, G\) case, we have \(V_f(D)=H(D)'\), \(V_i(D)=H(D)'\), and both subgroups are stable. In the \(nb \, \&\, NG\) case, we have \(V_f(D)=H(D)\), \(V_i(D)=H(D)\), and both subgroups are unstable. Turning to the cofinality of \(D\), they let \(S\) be the subset of elements of \(\mathrm{Prin}(\Gamma)\) which strictly contain \(H(D)\), and \(S^c=\mathrm{Prin}(\Gamma)\backslash S\). Denote by \(\kappa\) the cofinality of \(D^L\) and by \(\lambda\) the coinitiality of \(D^R\). If \(D\) is an \(nb \, \&\, G\) cut, then \(\kappa=\lambda=\aleph_0\), and if \(D\) is a \(nb \, \&\, NG\) cut, then \(\kappa=\lambda= \mathrm{cofin}(S)\), the cofinality of \(S\). If \(D\) is a ball cut, then we distinguish the case where \(S^c\) has a minimum and the case where it has not. Assume that \(D\) has a convexity gap. If \(\min S^c\) exists, then \(\kappa=\lambda=\aleph_0\), otherwise, in the \(b^+ \, \&\, G\) case, we have \(\kappa=\mathrm{coin}(S^c)\), the coinitiality of \(S^c\), and \(\lambda=\aleph_0\), and in the \(b^- \, \&\, G\) case we have \(\kappa=\aleph_0\) and \(\lambda=\mathrm{coin}(S^c)\). In the \(b^+ \, \&\, NG\) case, we have \(\lambda=\mathrm{cofin}(S)\) and if \(\min S^c\) exists, then \(\kappa=\aleph_0\), otherwise \(\kappa=\mathrm{coin}(S^c)\). In the \(b^- \, \&\, NG\) case, we have \(\kappa=\mathrm{cofin}(S)\) and if \(\min S^c\) exists, then \(\lambda=\aleph_0\), otherwise \(\lambda=\mathrm{coin}(S^c)\). A section is dedicated to small extensions of ordered groups, that they define as follows. Let \(\Gamma \hookrightarrow \Lambda\) be an extension of linearly ordered abelian groups and \(\Delta\) be the relative divisible closure of \(\Gamma\) in \(\Lambda\). Then \(\Gamma \hookrightarrow \Lambda\) is a small extension if either \(\Delta=\Lambda\) or \(\Lambda/\Delta\) is isomorphic to \(\mathbb{Z}\) (note that if \(K\) is a field, and \(\nu\) is a valuation on the polynomial ring \(K[X]\), then \(\nu (K)\hookrightarrow \nu (K[X])\) is a small extension). The set \(\mathrm{Prin}(\Gamma)\) embeds in \(\mathrm{Prin}(\Lambda)\), and the set \(\mathrm{Conv}(\Gamma)\) of all proper convex subgroups of \(\Gamma\) embeds in \(\mathrm{Conv}(\Lambda)\). If \(\Gamma \hookrightarrow \Lambda\) is a small extension, then \(\mathrm{Card}(\mathrm{Prin}(\Lambda)\backslash \mathrm{Prin}(\Gamma))=\mathrm{Card}(\mathrm{Conv}(\Lambda)\backslash \mathrm{Conv}(\Gamma)) \in \{0,1\}\). In the former case, we say that \(\Gamma \hookrightarrow \Lambda\) preserves the rank, in the later case we say that \(\Gamma \hookrightarrow \Lambda\) increases the rank by one. Assume that \(\Gamma\) is divisible and let \(D\) be a cut. Set \(\Gamma(D)=x_D\mathbb{Z}\oplus \Gamma\) ordered by \(mx_D+a\leq nx_D+b\Leftrightarrow (m-n)D\leq b-a\). Then \(\Gamma\hookrightarrow \Gamma(D)\) is a small extension, and it increases the rank by one if, and only if, \(D\) is a ball cut. In the general case, let \(\Delta\) be a subgroup of the divisible hull \(\Gamma_{\mathbb{Q}}\) of \(\Gamma\), which contains \(\Gamma\). For every cut \(D\) of \(\Gamma_{\mathbb{Q}}\), the subgroup of \(\Gamma_{\mathbb{Q}}(D)\) generated by \(\Delta\) and \(x_D\) is denoted by \(\Delta(D)\). Then for every small extension \(\Lambda\) of \(\Gamma\) such that \(\Delta\) is the relative divisible hull of \(\Gamma\) in \(\Lambda\), there is a unique cut \(D\) of \(\Gamma_{\mathbb{Q}}\) such that \(\Lambda\) is equivalent to \(\Delta(D)\), i.e.\ there is an isomorphism of ordered groups between \(\Lambda\) and \(\Delta(D)\) which restriction to \(\Gamma\) is the identity. Finally, the authors apply their results to the problem of classifying valuations on polynomial rings up to equivalence.