Proof of a conjecture of Colliot-Thélène and a Diophantine excision theorem (Q2278133)

If \(X\) is a geometrically integral variety over a number field \(F\), then \(X\) has \(F_p\)-rational points for almost all completions \(F_p\) of \(F\) (see e.g. Theorem 2 of [\textit{N. Greenleaf}, Am. J. Math. 87, 25--31 (1965; Zbl 0136.16201)]). The main result of the present paper can be considered as a family version of this result: Given a dominant morphism \(f\colon X \to Y\) of ``nice'' (smooth, proper, geometrically integral) varieties over a number field \(F\), with geometrically integral generic fiber, one would like to obtain that the induced maps \(X(F_p) \to Y(F_p)\) of \(F_p\)-rational points are surjective for almost all completions \(F_p\) of \(F\). This is not true in general, but a conjecture by \textit{J.-L. Colliot-Thélène} [C. R., Math., Acad. Sci. Paris 346, No. 1--2, 63--65 (2008; Zbl 1129.14059)] predicts that it is true under certain assumptions. The main result of the present paper is a proof of a stronger version of that conjecture, namely using only weaker assumptions. (Note that after the paper under review has appeared, further generalizations of this result have been found; see [\textit{D. Loughran}, \textit{A. Skorobogatov} and \textit{A. Smeets}, ``Pseudo-split fibres and arithmetic surjectivity'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1705.10740}] and [\textit{F. Pop}, ``On a conjecture of Colliot-Thelene'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1910.01572}].) One motivation for the above result is the following: \textit{J. Ax} and \textit{S. Kochen} [Am. J. Math. 87, 605--630, 631--648 (1965; Zbl 0136.32805)] had proved that a projective hypersurface of degree \(d\) in a projective space of dimension at least \(d^2\) has \(\mathbb Q_p\)-rational points for almost all \(p\). Their proof relies on model theory (which allows them to deduce the \(\mathbb Q_p\)-result from a similar result for \(\mathbb F_p((t))\)). The conjecture of Colliot-Thélène implies the Ax-Kochen Theorem, so together with the present paper, one now has a purely algeraic proof of it. Note also that using similar methods as in the present paper, the author also gave another purely algebraic proof of the Ax-Kochen Theorem [\textit{J. Denef}, Am. J. Math. 138, No. 1, 181--199 (2016; Zbl 1350.11048)].