Stickelberger series and main conjecture for function fields (Q2232014)

The first named author proved an Iwasawa main conjecture for the Carlitz cyclotomic extension of a rational function field \(\mathbb F_q(t)\) in joint work with \emph{B. Anglès}, \emph{F. Bars} and \emph{I. Longhi} [Math. Ann. 376, No. 1-2, 475--523 (2020; Zbl 1454.11211)]. In this paper the authors extend this result to general function fields \(F\) of characteristic \(p\) or, equivalently, to function fields of smooth projective curves defined over a finite field \(\mathbb F_q\), where \(q\) is a \(p\)-power. Let \(H\) be the Hilbert class field of \(F\), which is the maximal abelian unramified extension of \(F\) which is totally split at a chosen place \(\infty\). Let \(H\{\tau\}\) be the skew-polynomial ring in one variable \(\tau\) with coefficients in \(H\), where \(\tau f = f^q \tau\) for all \(f \in H\). A Hayes module is a homomorphism of \(\mathbb F_q\)-algebras \(\Phi: F \rightarrow H\{\tau\}\) satisfying certain conditions. In particular, it is a Drinfeld module of rank \(1\). Fix a prime \(\mathfrak p\) of \(F\) and let \(F_n\) be the field obtained from \(H\) by adjoining all \(\mathfrak p^{n+1}\)-torsion points of \(\Phi\). Then \(F_n\) is an abelian extension of \(F\) which is ramified only at \(\mathfrak p\) and \(\infty\). Set \(\mathcal{F} := \bigcup_n F_n\). Then \(\mathcal F / F_0\) is abelian with Galois group \(\Gamma_{\infty} \simeq \mathbb Z_p^{\infty}\). If \(F = \mathbb F_q(t)\), then \(H = F\) and the Carlitz module is the map \(F \rightarrow F\{\tau\}, t \mapsto t + \tau\). \par The authors (mainly) assume that \([F_0:F]\) is prime to \(p\) so that the Iwasawa algebra \(\mathbb Z_p[[\mathrm{Gal}(\mathcal{F}/F)]]\) decomposes into `\(\chi\)-parts', where \(\chi\) runs over the irreducible characters of \(\mathrm{Gal}(F_0/F)\). The authors also exclude the case, where the restriction of \(\chi\) to \(\mathrm{Gal}(F_0/H)\) is trivial. This case is considered in a subsequent paper with \emph{F. Bars} [J. Number Theory 232, 261--282 (2022; Zbl 1485.11161)]. \par On the algebraic side the authors study the inverse limit of the \(p\)-\(\chi\)-parts of the class groups of degree zero divisors of \(F_n\). This is a finitely generated torsion \(\mathbb Z_p[\chi][[\Gamma_{\infty}]]\)-module. The main result then states that its Fitting ideal is generated by a certain Stickelberger element.\par The overall strategy is the same as in the previous paper on the Carlitz cyclotomic extension. In particular, an important ingredient is again a result of \emph{C. Popescu} and \emph{C. Greither} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2012, No. 5, 986--1036 (2012; Zbl 1254.11063)] on the Galois module structure, including the computation of certain Fitting ideals, of \(p\)-adic realizations of Picard \(1\)-motives and class groups of global function fields.