On the Drinfeld moduli problem of \(p\)-divisible groups (Q2400464)

Let \(p\) be a prime number, and denote by \(F\) a \(p\)-adic local field, i.e., a finite extension of the field of \(p\)-adic numbers. In analogy with the union \(\mathbb C\setminus \mathbb R\) of the upper and lower complex half planes, Drinfeld introduced the \(p\)-adic upper half space \(\Omega^d_F\), a rigid analytic space whose points over the completion \(C\) of an algebraic closure of \(F\) are given by \(\Omega^n_F(C) = \mathbb P^{n-1}(C) \setminus \bigcup H\), where the union runs over all \(F\)-rational hyperplanes \(H\) in \(\mathbb P^{n-1}_F\). This rigid analytic space has a natural formal model \(\hat{\Omega}^n_F\) over the ring \(O_F\) of integers which was defined by Deligne, Drinfeld and Mumford. Let \(\pi\) denote a uniformizer of \(F\), let \(\breve{F}\) denote the completion of the maximal unramified extension of \(F\), and let \(D\) be the central diviasion algebra over \(F\) of invariant \(1/n\). Let \(\overline{k}\) be the residue class field of \(\breve{F}\). Drinfeld proved that \(\hat{\Omega}^n_F\times_{\text{Spf} O_F}\text{Spf} O_{\breve{F}}\) represents the moduli functor which attaches to an \(O_{\breve{F}}\)-scheme \(S\) on which \(\pi\) is locally nilpotent the set of isomorphism classes of triples \((X, \iota, \rho)\), where \((X, \iota: O_D\to \text{End}(X))\) is a special formal \(O_D\)-module, and \(\rho\) is a quasi-isogeny of height \(0\), compatible with \(\iota\), between \(X\times\text{Spec}(\overline{k})\) and \(\mathbb X\times (S\times \text{Spec}(\overline{k}))\). Here \(\mathbb X\) denotes a fixed special formal \(O_D\)-module over \(\overline{k}\), the underlying ``framing object''. In the paper at hand, the authors define variants of Drinfeld's moduli problem, as motivated by the theory of local Shimura varieties. In fact, in this theory, it is natural to consider the following general question: Let \((G, b, \{\mu\})\) be a local Shimura datum over \(F\) in the sense of \textit{M. Rapoport} and \textit{E. Viehmann} [Münster J. Math. 7, No. 1, 273--326 (2014; Zbl 1378.11070)]. Assume that \(b\) is basic. Let \(G' = \text{Res}_{F/\mathbb Q_p}G\) with conjugacy class \(\{\mu_0\}\) of cocharacters of \(G'\otimes \bar{F} = \prod_{\text{Hom}_{\mathbb Q_p}(F, \bar{\mathbb Q}_p)} G\) given by \(\mu\) on the factor corresponding to a fixed embedding \(F\to\bar{\mathbb Q}_p\), and trivial on all other factors. We set \(\{\mu'\} = \{ \varepsilon\mu_0\}\) for a central cocharacter \(\varepsilon\) and denote by \(b'\) the unique basic element such that we obtain a local Shimura datum \((G', b', \{\mu'\})\). It is then a natural question to ask whether the corresponding local Shimura varieties are Galois twists of each other. The main goal of the paper is to show that this is in fact true in the setting of Drinfeld space as sketched above. More precisely, the authors construct integral models (for maximal level structure) of both local Shimura varieties. If \(F/\mathbb Q_p\) is unramified, they show that these integral models are isomorphic. This makes use of input by Scholze as detailed in Section 6 of the paper. As stated in footnote 1, Scholze in the meantime also removed the hypothesis that \(F/\mathbb Q_p\) be unramified. Defining a suitable integral model relies on the ``Kottwitz condition'' (which usually appears in this kind of moduli problem) and certain additional conditions, named ``Eisenstein conditions'' which are quite subtle, and which play a crucial role here. To prove that the two integral models are isomorphic, it is first proved separately that the special fibers are isomorphic, and that the generic fibers are isomorphic (as rigid spaces). In the final section, a variant for the Lubin-Tate case is discussed.