A primitive element theorem for fields with commuting derivations and automorphisms (Q2325601)

In this article the author obtained a substantial common generalization for both the primitive element theorem of \textit{E. R. Kolchin} [Ann. Math. (2) 43, 724--729 (1944; Zbl 0060.08105), Section~4] for fields with commuting deviations and of \textit{R. Cohn} [Difference algebra. New York, NY: Interscience Publishers (1965; Zbl 0127.26402), p.203 Theorem III] for fields with commuting automorphisms. More precisely, the author proves the following result. Theorem. Let \(F \subset E\) be an extension of \(\Delta\)-\(\Sigma\)-fields such that \begin{itemize} \item[{(1)}] there exist \(a_1, \ldots, a_n \in E\) such that \[E = F(\delta^{\alpha}\sigma^{\beta}(a_j)\mid 1 \leq j \leq n, \alpha \in \mathbb{Z}_{\geq 0}^s, \beta \in \mathbb{Z}^l);\] \item[{(2)}] for every \(1 \leq j \leq n\), the elements of \(\left\{ \delta^{\alpha}\sigma^{\beta}(a_j)\mid \alpha \in \mathbb{Z}_{\geq 0}^s, \beta \in \mathbb{Z}^l \right\}\) are algebraically dependent over F; \item[{(3\(\delta\))}] \(\delta_1 \ldots, \delta_s\) are linearly independent over \(E\); \item[{(3\(\sigma\))}] \(\sigma_1, \ldots, \sigma_t\) are multiplicatively independent over \(\mathbb{Z}\), that is, for every \(\beta \in \mathbb{Z}^l\), \(\sigma|_E = \text{id} \iff \beta = \mathbf{0}\). \end{itemize} Then there exists \(a \in E\) such that \(E = F(\delta^{\alpha}\sigma^{\beta}(a)\mid \alpha \in \mathbb{Z}_{\geq 0}^s, \beta \in \mathbb{Z}^l)\). Unlike the results of Kolchin and Cohn, in the generality of the current theorem, a primitive element, as demonstrated by examples by the author, need not be a linear combination of the original generators over the base field. The approach taken by the author in constructing a primitive element is from the perspective of the Taylor series expansion. Jonathan Kirby pointed out that the difference between the representations of a primitive element in the present article and that of the author's earlier article [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 219, No. 9, 4035--4041 (2015; Zbl 1334.12008)] can be viewed as the difference between usual generating series and exponential generating series. The author also demonstrated by an example that both condition (\(3\delta\)) and condition (\(3\sigma\)) are necessary. The paper is well-written and reader-friendly: the author provides a proof the main theorem for differential fields which is much shorter than general case and yet it illustrates many key techniques developed for the full result.