A `non-additive' characterization of \(\wp\)-adic norms. (Q659612)

The concept of a valuated matroid first surfaced in the first author's work, [Adv. Math. 59, 97--123 (1986; Zbl 0656.05025)]. Given a \(p\)-adic field \(F\) with a \(p\)-adic valuation, \(F^n\) satisfies the classical Grassmann-Plücker identity: For any \(2n\) elements \(e_1,\dots,e_n,f_1,\dots,f_n\in F^n\), \(\det(e_1,\dots,e_n)\det(f_1,\dots,f_n)=\sum_{i=1}^n\det(e_1,\dots,e_{i-1},f_1,e_{i+1},\dots,e_n)\det(e_1,f_2,\dots,f_n)\). This gives rise to a valuated matroid of rank \(n\) (denoted usually as \(M_n(F)\)). There is a notion of the `tight span' of valuated matroids. In his 1992 Bielefeld Dissertation [A combinatorial approach to \(p\)-adic geometry: valuated matroids, trees, and buildings. Bielefeld: Univ. Bielefeld, Fak. f. Math. (1992; Zbl 0789.05026)], \textit{W. Terhalle} studied the tight span of the matroid \(M_n(F)\) coming from a \(p\)-adic field with a \(p\)-adic valuation, and showed that it is a geometric realization of the Bruhat-Tits building of \(\text{SL}_n(F)\). This suggested a connection between \(p\)-adic norms on \(F^n\) and maps in the tight span of \(M_n(F)\). Such a connection turns out to be true at a level even deeper than expected initially. For instance, the descriptions of the Bruhat-Tits building of \(\text{SL}_n(F)\) given by Bruhat \& Tits on the one hand and, by Terhalle on the other coincide; so do the notions of apartments of the building as defined by Bruhat \& Tits and by \textit{A. Dress} and \textit{W. Terhalle} [in Doc. Math., J. DMV, Extra Vol. ICM Berlin 1998, vol. III, 565--574 (1998; Zbl 0904.05019)]. In view of this, the authors believe that similar, equivalent characterizations should be possible for other classical algebraic groups using suitable ``tight span'' constructions and, that the theory of affine buildings may possibly be viewed as a particular case of a yet-to-be-developed geometric theory of valuated matroids.