On algebraic automorphisms and their rational invariants (Q2468656)

This well-written article studies automorphisms \(\psi\) on an affine variety \(X\) (over a field \(k\) of characteristic zero) whose field of invariants \(k(X)^{\psi}\) has transcendence degree of codimension 1. This is an important and interesting class of automorphisms. For example, exponents of locally nilpotent derivations satisfy this property. The main theorem of the paper is that, under some mild conditions, such an automorphism can be seen as an element of a linear algebraic group action on \(X\). The author applies his theorem to dimension two, and classifies all such automorphisms. They are of the following type: \(\bullet\) \((a^nX,a^mY)\) where \((n,m)\not = (0,0)\), \(a,b\in k\), \(b\) is a root of unity but \(a\) is not, \(\bullet\) \((aX,bY+P(X))\) wherer \(P\) is a nonzero polynomial, and \(a,b\) are roots of unity. Another corollary is that if a two-dimensional automorphism \(\psi\) has a fixed point \(p\) and the differential at \(p\), \(d\psi_p\) is unipotent, then \(k(X)^{\psi}\) is zero-dimensional. The proof goes in several small steps, and is very elegant. In particular, after extending the automorphism \(\psi\), it becomes an automorphism of a curve \(C\) over a field \(\bar{K}\). The field \(K\) is defined as \[ K:=\bigcup_{m\in \mathbb{N}} k(X)^{\psi^m}. \] The curve is shown to be either \(\bar{K}[t]\) or \(\bar{K}[t,t^{-1}]\).