Approximation types describing extensions of valuations to rational function fields (Q2672680)

Let \((K,v_0)\) be a valued field, \(K(x)\) be the rational function field and \(\mathcal{V}\) be the set of all extensions of \(v_0\) to \(K(x)\). For any \(\gamma \in v_0 K\) and \(c\in K\) the closed ball of radius \(\gamma\) centered at \(c\) is the set \(B_{\gamma}(c)=\{a\in K\; :\; v_0(c-a)\geq \gamma\}\), and the open ball of radius \(\gamma\) centered at \(c\) is the set \(B_{\gamma}^o(c)=\{a\in K\; :\; v_0(c-a)> \gamma\}\). Note that one can also define a closed ball of radius \(\infty\). By properties of valuations, every element of a ball is the center of this ball, and any two balls are either disjoint or comparable by inclusion. A full nest of balls is a set of balls \(\mathcal{N}\) which is linearly ordered by inclusion and such that if \(B\in \mathcal{N}\) and \(B'\) is a ball which contains \(B\), then \(B'\in \mathcal{N}\). An approximation type is either the empty set or a full nest of balls. The support of an approximation type \(\mathbf{A}\) is the set \(\mathrm{supp}(\mathbf{A})\) of all radii of closed balls which belong to \(\mathbf{A}\); it is an initial segment of \(v_0K\cup\{\infty\}\). By above properties, for every \(\gamma\in \mathrm{supp}(\mathbf{A})\) the full nest \(\mathbf{A}\) contains at most one closed ball of radius \(\gamma\), it is denoted by \(\mathbf{A}_{\gamma}\), and if \(\mathbf{A}_{\gamma}\neq\emptyset\), then \(\mathbf{A}_{\gamma}^o\) is the open ball of radius \(\gamma\) centered at any element of \(\mathbf{A}_{\gamma}\). We denote by \(\mathcal{A}\) the set of all approximation types. Now, for every \(v\in \mathcal{V}\) the set \(\mathrm{appr}_v(x)\) of all nonempty \(B\cap K\) where \(B\) is an open or closed ball of \(K(x)\) centered at \(x\) is an approximation type. The first main result in this paper states that the mapping from \(\mathcal{V}\) to \(\mathcal{A}\)~: \(v\mapsto \mathrm{appr}_v(x)\) is onto. The second main result proves that if \((K,v_0)\) lies dense in its algebraic closure, then above mapping is one-to-one. These results generalize the links between immediate extensions and pseudo-Cauchy sequences. The extension \((K(x)|K,v)\) is immediate if the valuation group \(vK(x)\) of \((K(x),v)\) is equal to \(v_0K\) and the residue field \(K(x)v\) of \((K(x),v)\) is equal to \(Kv_0\). A pseudo-Cauchy sequence of elements of \((K,v_0)\) is a sequence \((x_{\sigma})_{\sigma<\lambda}\) of elements of \(K\), where \(\lambda\) is a limit ordinal, and for every \(\sigma<\rho<\tau<\lambda\) we have \(v_0(x_{\sigma}-x_{\rho})<v_0(x_{\rho}-x_{\tau})\). A pseudo-limit of a pseudo-Cauchy sequence \((x_{\sigma})_{\sigma<\lambda}\) is an element \(f(x)\in K(x)\) such that for every \(\sigma<\rho<\lambda\) we have \(v_0(x_{\sigma}-x_{\rho})=v(x_{\sigma}-f(x))\). If the full nest \(\mathbf{A}\) is not the empty set and the intersection \(\bigcap \mathbf{A}\) of all elements of \(\mathbf{A}\) is the emptyset, then \(\mathbf{A}\) is associated to a pseudo-Cauchy sequence in the following way. Let \(I\) be a well-ordered cofinal subset of \(\mathrm{supp}(\mathbf{A})\), and for every \(\gamma\) let \(x_{\gamma}\) be some element of \(\mathbf{A}_{\gamma}\backslash \mathbf{A}_{\gamma}^o\), then \((x_{\gamma})_{\gamma\in I}\) is a pseudo-Cauchy sequence which has no pseudo-limit in \((K,v_0)\). Conversely, let \((x_{\sigma})_{\sigma<\lambda}\), be a pseudo-Cauchy sequence which has no pseudo-limit in \((K,v_0)\). Then the set of all balls which contain some \(B_{v_0(x_{\sigma}-x_{\sigma+1})}(x_{\sigma})\) is an approximation type which intersection is empty. Assume that the intersection \(\bigcap \mathbf{A}\) of all elements in \(\mathbf{A}\) is nonempty and let \(c\in \bigcap\mathbf{A}\). Then \(\mathbf{A}\) is a subset of any full nest of balls centered at \(c\) and with support containing \(\mathrm{supp}(\mathbf{A})\). If the intersection \(\bigcap \mathbf{A}=\emptyset\), then \(\mathbf{A}\) is said to be immediate. If \(\mathbf{A}=\emptyset\) or \(\bigcap\mathbf{A}_{\gamma}^o\neq \emptyset\), then \(\mathbf{A}_{\gamma}\) is said to be value extending. If \(\mathrm{supp}(\mathbf{A})\) has a greatest element \(\delta\) and \(\bigcap \mathbf{A}_{\gamma}=\mathbf{A}_{\delta}\) and \(\mathbf{A}_{\delta}^o=\emptyset\), then \(\mathbf{A}_{\gamma}\) is said to be be residue extending. Every approximation type is either immediate, or value extending, or residue extending. Assume that \(\mathbf{A}\) is value extending. Then \(\mathrm{supp}(\mathbf{A})\) defines a Dedekind cut in \(v_0K\). Let \(\alpha\) be an element in an extension of \(v_0K\) which realizes this Dedekind cut and which is not a torsion element modulo \(v_0K\), and take \(b\in \bigcap \mathbf{A}\). Then one can define a valuation \(v\) on \(K(x)\) by setting for every \(a_0,\dots,a_n\) in \(K\): \(v\left(a_n(x-b)^n+\cdots+ a_1(x-b)+a_0\right)=\min (v(a_n)+n\alpha,\dots,v(a_1)+\alpha,v(a_0))\). Any \(v\in\mathcal{V}\) such that \(\mathbf{A}=\mathrm{appr}_v(x)\) can be obtained in this way. We have \(vK(x)\supsetneq v_0K\) and \(K(x)v=Kv_0\). Assume that \(\mathbf{A}\) is residue extending, say \(\bigcap \mathbf{A}_{\gamma}=\mathbf{A}_{\delta}\), and let \(b\in \mathbf{A}_{\delta}\). Then one can define a valuation \(v\) on \(K(x)\) by setting for every \(a_0,\dots,a_n\) in \(K\): \(v\left(a_n(x-b)^n+\cdots+ a_1(x-b)+a_0\right)=\min (v(a_n)+n\delta,\dots,v(a_1)+\delta,v(a_0))\). Any \(v\in\mathcal{V}\) such that \(\mathbf{A}=\mathrm{appr}_v(x)\) can be obtained in this way. We have \(vK(x)=v_0K\) and the extension \(K(x)v|Kv_0\) is transcendental. If \(\mathbf{A}\) is immediate, then several scenarios can arise. Let \((x_{\sigma})_{\sigma}<\lambda\) be a pseudo-Cauchy sequence associated to \(\mathbf{A}\). If for every \(f(X)\in K[X]\) the sequence \((v_0(f(x_{\sigma})))_{\sigma<\lambda}\) is eventually constant (we say that \(\mathbf{A}\) is transcendental), then we can let \(v(f(x))\) be this constant. Then \((K(x)|K,v)\) is an immediate extension. Conversely, if \((K(x)|K,v)\) is an immediate extension, then \(x\) is the limit of a pseudo-Cauchy sequence of \((K,v_0)\), \(v\) can be defined in the same way as above, and the approximation type associated to this pseudo-Cauchy sequence is transcendental. If the immediate approximation type \(\mathbf{A}\) is not transcendental and \(\mathrm{supp}(\mathbf{A})=vK_0\), then the valuation \(v\in \mathcal{V}\) such that \(\mathbf{A}=\mathrm{appr}_v(x)\), is uniquely determined. Furthermore \(K(x)v=Kv_0\) and \(vK(x)\) contains an element which is not torsion modulo \(vK_0\). If the immediate approximation type \(\mathbf{A}\) is not transcendental and \(\mathrm{supp}(\mathbf{A})\neq vK_0\), then the valuations \(v\in \mathcal{V}\) such that \(\mathbf{A}=\mathrm{appr}_v(x)\), can be chosen such that either \(K(x)v=Kv_0\) and \(vK(x)\) contains an element which is not torsion modulo \(vK_0\), or \(vK(x)=v_0K\) and the extension \(K(x)v|Kv_0\) is transcendental.