The \(L\)-functions of Witt coverings (Q2471770)

Let \({\mathbb F}_q\) be the finite field of characteristic \(p\) with \(q\) elements, and \(W_m\) the ring scheme of Witt vectors of length \(m\) over \({\mathbb F}_q\). Let \(f\in W_m({\mathbb F}_q[x_1^{\pm1},\ldots,x_n^{\pm1}] )\) with its first coordinate non-constant. Let \(T^n\) be the \(n\)-dimensional torus over \({\mathbb F}_q\), and \(F\) the Frobenius morphism of \(W_m\). The fibre product over \(W_m\) of \(W_m\overset{F-1}{\longrightarrow} W_m\) and \(T^n\overset{f}{\longrightarrow}W_m\) is a \(W_m({\mathbb F}_p)\)-covering of \(T^n\), with group action \(g(y,x)=(y+g,x)\). Let \(L_f(t)\) be the Artin \(L\)-function of \(T^n\) determined by that covering and a fixed character of \(W_m({\mathbb F}_p)\) of exact order \(p^m\). Let \(\Delta_\infty(f)\subset {\mathbb Q}^n\) be the Newton polyhedron of \(f\) at infinity, and let \(L(\Delta_\infty(f))\) be the set of integral points in the cone \(\bigcup_{k=1}^\infty k\Delta_\infty(f)\). There is a \({\mathbb R}_{\geq 0}\)-linear degree function \(u\mapsto\deg(u)\) on \(L(\Delta_\infty(f))\), such that \(\deg(u)=1\) when \(u\) lies on a face of \(\Delta_\infty(f)\) that does not contain the origin, and there is a least positive integer \(D\) such that \(\deg(L(\Delta_\infty(f)))\subset D^{-1}{\mathbb Z}\). For \(k=0,1,\ldots\) let \(W_{\Delta_\infty(f)}(k)\) be the number of points of degree \(\frac{k}{D}\) in \(L(\Delta_\infty(f))\). Let \(P_{\Delta_\infty(f)}(t):=(1-t^D)^n\sum_{k=0}^\infty W_{\Delta_\infty(f)}(k)t^k\). The authors prove: Theorem 1. The total degree of \(L_f(t)\) is bounded by \[ \sum_{i=0}^n\binom{n}{i}\sum_{k=0}^{D(n-i+1)}W_{\Delta_\infty(f)}(k). \] Theorem 2. Suppose that \(f\) is non-degenerate with respect to \(\Delta_\infty(f)\). Then the \(L\)-function is a polynomial, and its Newton polygon with respect to \(\text{ord}_q\) lies above the Hodge polygon of \(P_{\Delta_\infty(f)}(t)\) of degree \(D\) with the same endpoints. In particular, \(L_f(t)\) is of degree \(n!\text{Vol}(\Delta )\). Theorem 3. If \(f\) is non-degenerate with respect to \(\Delta_\infty(f)\), and the origin lies in the interior of \(\Delta_\infty(f)\), then the reciprocal roots of \(L_f(t)\) are of absolute value \(q^{\frac{n}{2}}\).