Special functions and Gauss-Thakur sums in higher rank and dimension (Q2661311)

The aim of this paper is to provide a general construction of special functions attached to any Anderson \(A\)-module. Let \((C,{\mathcal O}_C)\) be a smooth projective geometrically irreducible curve and let \(\infty\) be a closed point on \(C\). Let \(A\) be the ring of rational functions on \(C\) that are regular outside \(\infty\). The most basic example of special functions is the Anderson-Thakur special function \(\omega\) for the Carlitz module \({\mathcal C}\). One way to define \(\omega\) as an invertible element of the Tate Algebra \({\mathbb C}_{\infty}\langle t\rangle\) over \({\mathbb C}_{\infty}\), the completion of an algebraic closure of \({\mathbb F}_q\big(\big(\frac{1}{\theta}\big)\big)\), where \({\mathbb F}_q(\theta)\) is a rational function field over \({\mathbb F}_q\), is \(\omega(t)= \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}\exp_{\mathcal C}\big(\frac{\tilde{\pi}}{\theta^{n+1}} \big)t^n\). Here, \(\exp_{\mathcal C}\) denotes the Carlitz exponential and \(\tilde{\pi}\) denotes the Carlitz period. \textit{B. Anglès} and \textit{F. Pellarin} [Invent. Math. 200, No. 2, 653--669 (2015; Zbl 1321.11053)] expressed \(\omega(t)=\exp_{\mathcal C}\big(\frac{\tilde{\pi}}{\theta-t}\big)\) and obtained that \(({\mathcal C}_t-t)(\omega)=\exp_{\mathcal C}(\tilde{\pi})=0\). Further, \(\omega\) generates the \({\mathbb F}_q[t]\)-module \({\mathfrak{sf}}({\mathcal C})= \big\{h\in{\mathcal C}({\mathbb C}_{\infty}\langle t\rangle)\mid {\mathcal C}_t(h)=t\cdot h\big\}\) and it holds the equality \( \big\{h\in{\mathcal C}({\mathbb C}_{\infty}\langle t\rangle)\mid {\mathcal C}_t(h)=t\cdot h\big\}=\big\{h\in{\mathcal C}({\mathbb C}_{\infty}\langle t\rangle)\mid h^{(1)}=(t-\theta)h\big\}\), where \((\cdot)^{(1)}\) denotes the usual Frobenius twist on \({\mathbb C}_{\infty}\langle t\rangle\). One of the main results of the paper under review is to show that the above duality holds in great generality for any Anderson \(A\)-module. Let \((E,\phi)\) be an Anderson \(A\)-module over \({\mathbb C}_{\infty}\) and let \(M=\mathrm{Hom}_{{\mathbb F}_q,{\mathbb C}_{\infty}}\big(E,{\mathbb G}_{a,{\mathbb C}_{\infty}}\big)\) be its \(A\)-motive. Let \({\mathbb T}= A\hat{\otimes}_{{\mathbb F}_q} {\mathbb C}_{\infty}\) where \(A\hat{\otimes}_{{\mathbb F}_q} {\mathbb C}_{\infty}\) is the completion of \(A\otimes_{{\mathbb F}_q} {\mathbb C}_{\infty}\) and let \(M_{\mathbb T} =M\otimes_{A\otimes{\mathbb C}_{\infty}}{\mathbb T}\). Let \({\mathfrak{sf}}(E)=\{h\in E({\mathbb T})\mid \phi_a(h)=a\cdot h \text{\ for all\ } a\in A\}\) be the space of special functions. Then there is \(A\)-linear isomorphism \({\mathfrak{sf}}(E)\longrightarrow \mathrm{Hom}_{ \mathbb T}^{\tau}\big(M_{\mathbb T},{\mathbb T}\big)\), where the latter is the \(A\)-module of \(\tau\)-equivariant \({\mathbb T}\)-linear homomorphisms and \(\tau\) is the \(q\)-power Frobenius map on \({\mathbb C}_{\infty}\). Next, let \(u\in A\) such that \(K/{\mathbb F}_q(u)\) is a finite separable extension, where \(F\) is the field of fractions of \(A\), and let \({\mathfrak d}_{A/{\mathbb F}_q[u]}\subseteq A\) be the different. Then, for any Anderson \(A\)-module \(E\), there is an isomorphism, depending on the choice of \(u\), \(\delta_u\colon {\mathfrak d}_{A/{\mathbb F}q}\cdot \Lambda_E\longrightarrow {\mathfrak{sf}}(E)\) where \(\Lambda_E\) is the period lattice. The main results, Theorems 3.3 and 3.11 are given in Section 3. Section 4 is devoted to Gauss-Thakur sums of arbitrary Anderson \(A\)-modules. Its relation to the values of the special functions at algebraic points is the content of Section 5. In Section 6 the authors apply their results to special values of Goss \(L\)-functions.