Back-and-forth systems for generic curves and a decision algorithm for the limit theory (Q5946087)

Let \(L\) be obtained from the language of fields by adding a new binary relation symbol, and \(T_d\) be the theory of all \(L\)-structures of the form \((K,C)\), where \(K\) is an algebraically closed field of fixed characteristic of infinite transcendence degree, and \(C\) is a generic curve of degree \(d\) in \(K\). The latter means that \(C\) is a subset of \(K^2\) definable by an equation \(\sum_{i+j\leq d}a_{ij}x^iy^j=0\) with algebraically independent coefficients \(a_{ij}\). In 1999 O.~Chapuis, E.~Hrushovski, P.~Koiran and B.~Poizat proved that the theories \(T_d\) converge to a limit complete theory \(T_\infty\) (depending on the characteristic) as \(d\) tends to infinity. More precisely, for any \(L\)-sentence \(\varphi\) there is an integer \(d_\varphi\) such that either \(\varphi\in T_d\) for all \(d\geq d_\varphi\), or \(\neg\varphi\in T_d\) for all \(d\geq d_\varphi\). In the paper under review the authors give a quantitative version of that and, as a byproduct, partially new proofs of the main results of the paper of the four authors. They prove by the back-and-forth method that if the quantifier rank of \(\phi\) is \(r\) and \(m=2^{r-1}(2^r+1)-1\) then, for any \(d,d'\geq m\) and any generic curves \(C,C'\) of degrees \(d,d'\) over \(K,K'\), respectively, \(\varphi\) holds in \((K,C)\) iff \(\varphi\) holds in \((K',C')\). It follows that \(\varphi\in T_\infty\) iff \(\varphi\in T_m\). This reduces the decision problem for \(T_\infty\) to the one for the theory of algebraically closed fields expanded by \((^{m+1}_{\;\;2})\) algebraically independent elements. The latter problem can be solved by quantifier elimination. It is shown that any \(L\)-formula (of quantifier rank \(r\) with \(n\) free variables) is \(T_\infty\)-equivalent to a Boolean combination of existential \(L\)-formulas (with at most \(2^{r+1}(n+1)-2\) quantifiers). An example of a universal \(L\)-formula which is not \(T_\infty\)-equivalent to an existential \(L\)-formula is given. It is worth mentioning some related more recent results. P. Koiran proved that the sentences satisfied by all generic polynomials of sufficiently high degree over algebraically closed fields of fixed characteristic form a complete theory, found an axiomatization of the limit theory, and showed that Wilkie's ``Liouville function'' provides an analytic model for it (in the case of zero characteristic).