On factorization of \(p\)-adic meromorphic functions (Q2210528)

Let \(\mathbb{C}_p\) denote the complete and algebraically closed field of \(p\)-adic complex numbers; and let \(\mathcal{A}(\mathbb{C}_p)\) and \(\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{C}_p)\) denote the \(\mathbb{C}_p\)-algebra of entire functions and the field of meromorphic functions on \(\mathbb{C}_p\), respectively. Given \(F\in \mathcal{M}(\mathbb{C}_p)\), we say that \(F\) is prime (resp. pseudo-prime, resp. left-prime, resp. right-prime) if for every factorization of \(F\) of the form \(F=f\circ g\) with \(f,g \in \mathcal{M}(\mathbb{C}_p)\), we have that either \(f\) or \(g\) is a linear rational function (resp. \(f\) or \(g\) is a rational function, resp. \(f\) is a linear rational function whenever \(g\) is transcendental, \(g\) is a linear rational function whenever \(f\) is transcendental). Similar notions are defined for \(F\in \mathcal{A}(\mathbb{C}_p)\), replacing rational functions with polynomials in the definitions. In an earlier paper by Bézevin and Boutabaa it was shown that, unlike in the classical complex analysis case, if \(F\) is prime (resp. pseudo-prime, resp. left-prime, resp. right-prime) in \(\mathcal{A}(\mathbb{C}_p)\), then \(F\) is prime (resp. pseudo-prime, resp. left-prime, resp. right-prime) in \(\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{C}_p)\). Hence, for \(p\)-adic entire functions, all the above notions may be studied without distinction between the factorization of these functions in \(\mathcal{A}(\mathbb{C}_p)\) or \(\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{C}_p)\). In this paper, the authors state and prove sufficient conditions for functions in \(\mathcal{A}(\mathbb{C}_p)\) and for functions in \(\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{C}_p)\) to be prime, pseudo-prime, left-prime and right-prime. The proofs of some of the results use \(p\)-adic mathematical tools like the \(p\)-adic Picard Theorem and the Wronskian of \(p\)-adic entire functions and hence those results do not hold in the classical complex analysis case, that is for functions in \(\mathcal{A}(\mathbb{C})\) or \(\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{C})\). At the end of the paper, the authors show that under very special conditions two \(p\)-adic meromorphic functions \(f\) and \(g\) permute; that is, they satisfy \(f\circ g=g\circ f\). But the authors admit at the end that the question of finding conditions for permutability in the general case (i.e., for arbitrary \(f,g\in \mathcal{M}(\mathbb{C}_p)\)) is very difficult.