Distribution of Artin-Schreier-Witt extensions (Q479598)

For a finite group \(G\), one asks for an asymptotic expression giving the number of global field Galois extensions \(E/F\) with \(\mathrm{Gal}(E/F)\cong G\) and bounded conductor. For a global function field \(F\) over the finite field \({\mathbb F}_q\) of characteristic \(p\), let \({\mathfrak f}( E/F)\) be its conductor and \(\|{\mathfrak f}(E/F)\|=q^{\deg {\mathfrak f}(E/F)}\) be the absolute norm of \({\mathfrak f}(E/F)\). Let \(C(F,G;X)=|\{E/F\mid \mathrm{Gal}(E/F) \cong G \text{\;and\;}\|{\mathfrak f}(E/F)\|\leq X\}\). In the number field case, from Malle Conjecture, one expects that \[ C(F,G;X)\sim \gamma(G)X^{\alpha_p(G)} \log (X)^{\beta_p(G)} \] for some constants \(\gamma(G),\alpha_p(G),\beta_p(G)\). In [J. Number Theory 132, No. 9, 1867--1887 (2012; Zbl 1285.11139)] the author studied the problem for \(G\) a finite elementary \(p\)-abelian group, that is, an Artin-Schreier extension. In that paper the author found \(\alpha_p(G)= \frac{1+(p-1)r}{p}, \beta_p(G)=p-1\) if \(r=1\), \(\beta_p(G)= 1\) if \(r>1\) and \(\gamma(G)>0\) an explicitly computable constant. The paper under review is a continuation of author's previous work [op. cit.]. Here \(G\) is a finite abelian \(p\)--group with exponent \(p^e\) and \(p^i\)--ranks \(r_i(G)=\log_p(p^{i-1}G:p^iG)\). The corresponding extension \(E/F\) is called an Artin-Schreier-Witt extension. The author finds that, in this case, \[ \alpha_p( G)=\frac{1+(p-1)\sum_{i=1}^ep^{e-i}r_i(G)}{p^e};\quad \beta_p(G) = p^e-1 \] if \(G\) is cyclic and \(p^{e-f}\) if \(G\) is not cyclic and \(1\leq f\leq e\) is the minimum such that \(p^fG\) is cyclic and \(\gamma(G)>0\) is an explicitly computable constant. The main ingredients to show this result are the following. First, a formula of Hasse to compute the \(p\)-signature of ray class groups. Second, to compute the number of \(G\)-extensions \(E/F\) with given module \({\mathfrak m}\) by using a formula of Delsarte for the number of subgroups with given quotient. Next, the Möbius inversion formula to compute the number of \(G\)-extensions \(E/F\) with conductor \({\mathfrak m}\) from the number of \(G\)-extensions with module \({\mathfrak m}\). Finally, the author applies a Cauchy-Tauber formula to obtain the asymptotic behavior of \(C(F,G,X)\).