Patching over analytic fibers and the local-global principle (Q2160224)

Let \(k\) be a complete discrete valued field. Let \(C\) be a smooth curve over \(k\). \textit{D. Harbater} et al. [Invent. Math. 178, No. 2, 231--263 (2009; Zbl 1259.12003)] proved a local-global principle for homogeneous spaces with a strongly transitive action over the function field \(k(C)\). It claims that if such a space \(X\) has a point in each element of a specific family of overfields of \(k(C)\) (described in algebraic terms on the curve \(C\), using localizations and completions), then \(X\) has a point in \(k(C)\). This ``field patching'' technique has applications to \(u\)-invariants of quadratic forms over \(k(C)\), for instance. \textit{V. Mehmeti} [Compos. Math. 155, No. 12, 2399--2438 (2019; Zbl 1475.11056)] introduced a variant of the technique where the overfields are fields of germs of meromorphic functions at the points of the Berkovich analytification \(C^\textrm{an}\) of \(C\). It allowed her to generalize the local-global results to an arbitrary complete non-Archimedean valued field \(k\) with non-trivial valuation. The purpose of the article under review is to develop the technique further, and provide a first step towards a higher-dimensional version of patching. To this end, Mehmeti considers a relative curve \(C\) over a \(k\)-analytic space \(S\) (with mild assumptions), where \(k\) is a complete non-Archimedean valued field with non-trivial valuation. The main result is a local-global principle in the neighborhood of a fiber \(C_{x}\) of \(C\) over a point \(x\) of \(S\), under the additional assumption that the local ring \(\mathcal{O}_{S,x}\) is a field (which amounts to saying that \(x\) is a generic point in some sense). Denote by \(F_{\mathcal{O}_{x}}\) the ring of germs of meromorphic functions in the neighborhood of the fiber \(C_{x}\). Let \(X\) be a homogeneous space on \(F_{\mathcal{O}_{x}}\) with a strongly transitive action. Then \(X\) admits a point in \(F_{\mathcal{O}_{x}}\) if, and only if, it admits a point in each \(\mathcal{M}_{y}\), where \(\mathcal{M}_{y}\) is the field of germs of meromorphic functions on~\(C\) at a point \(y \in C_{x}\). Another version of the result is given, where the fields \(\mathcal{M}_{y}\) are replaced by completions of \(F_{\mathcal{O}_{x}}\) with respect to some valuations. The result may be applied to quadratic forms, which the author does explicitly in the paper. The article is technically quite involved and makes use of fine results about the structure of smooth Berkovich curves or norms on affinoid spaces, for instance. Let us finally mention a result of independent interest that is proven in the paper: the meromorphic functions on the Berkovich analytification of a proper scheme over an affinoid algebra are all algebraic meromorphic functions.