Isotriviality is equivalent to potential good reduction for endomorphisms of over function fields (Q2654070)

Let \(K = k(C)\) be the function field of a complete nonsingular curve \(C\) over a field \(k\). Recall that if \(V\) is a variety over a field \(K\), then a morphism \(\varphi: V \rightarrow V\) is said to be isotrivial if there is a finite extension \(K'\) of \(K\) such that \(\varphi_{K'} V_{K'} \rightarrow V_{K'}\) can be defined over the algebraic closure \(k'\) of \(k\) in \(K'\), that is, if \(\varphi_{K'}\) can be obtained by base extension from a suitable \(k'\)-morphism. In this paper, the authors show that a morphism \(\varphi: {\mathbb P}_K^N \rightarrow {\mathbb P}^N_K\) is isotrivial if and only if it has potential good reduction everywhere. Note that one direction is easy: if \(\varphi\) is isotrivial, then it has good reduction everywhere, since after base extension, it essentially reduces to the same map at each place \(v\) in some finite extension of \(K'\) of \(K\). The authors give two proofs of the converse, that if \(\varphi\) has potential good reduction everywhere, then it must be isotrivial. The first uses invariant theory (see [\textit{I. Dolgachev}, Lectures on Invariant Theory. London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series. 296. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (2003; Zbl 1023.13006)] and [\textit{D. Mumford, J. Fogarty, F. Kirwan}, Geometric invariant theory. 3rd enl. ed. Ergebnisse der Mathematik und ihrer Grenzgebiete. 3. Folge. 34. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. (1994; Zbl 0797.14004)]) to prove that the moduli space of degree \(d\) morphisms of \({\mathbb P}^N\) must be affine; since \(C\) is complete, it follows that any map from \(C\) to this moduli space must be constant, which means that \(\varphi\) must give a constant family of maps under reduction, possibly after base extension and change of coordinates. The second proof uses nonarchimedean analysis and the notion of homogeneous transfinite diameter developed by \textit{M. Baker} and \textit{R. Rumely} [Ann. Inst. Fourier 56, No. 3, 625--688 (2006; Zbl 1234.11082)]. \textit{M. Baker} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 626, 205--233 (2009; Zbl 1187.37133)] used similar methods to prove the theorem in the special case where \(N=1\). The paper concludes with two applications. One is a proof that \(\varphi: {\mathbb P}_K^N \rightarrow {\mathbb P}_K^N\) is isotrivial if and only if some iterate of \(\varphi\) is isotrivial. The other is an interesting dynamical criterion for when a vector bundle on a curve splits into line bundles.