Quasi-holonomic modules in positive characteristic (Q855745)

Continuing his previous work on algebraic structures of Carlitz rings [J. Number Theory 83, No. 1, 137--154 (2000; Zbl 1010.11066) and Finite Fields Appl. 9, No. 2, 250--266, (2003; Zbl 1081.11075)], the author starts to investigate the dimension theory of a left module over a Carlitz ring. To state the main results of this paper, we need to set the following notations. Let \(\mathbb F_q((x))\) be the formal Laurent series field in the variable \(x\) over finite field \(\mathbb F_q\) of \(q\) elements with \(q\) a power of a prime \(p.\) Let \(|\,|\) be the usual discrete valuation defined on the field \(\mathbb F_q((x)).\) i.e., \(|\sum_{i\geq m} \zeta_i x^i | = q^m\) where \(m \in {\mathbb Z}\) and \(\zeta_i \in \mathbb F_q.\) Let \({\mathbf K}\) denote the completion with respect to the unique extension of the valuation \(|\,|\) of an algebraic closure of \({\mathbb F}_q((x)).\) For a a non-negative integer \(n,\) let \({\mathbf k} = (k_1,\ldots, k_n)\) be \(n\)-tuples of non-negative integers. Also, for \({\mathbf t} := (t_1, \ldots, t_n),\) set \({\mathbf t}^{q^{\mathbf k}} = t_1^{q^{k_1}}\cdots t_n^{q^{k_n}}.\) Let \({\mathcal F}_{n+1}\) denote the set of functions of the form \(f(s,{\mathbf k}) = \sum_{{\mathbf k}={\mathbf 0}}^{\infty} \sum_{m=0}^{\min(k_1,\ldots, k_n)}\,a_{m,{\mathbf k}} s^{q^m} {\mathbf t}^{q^{\mathbf t}}\) with \(\, a_{m,{\mathbf t}} \in {\mathbf K}\) so that the power series \(f(s, {\mathbf t})\) are convergent in some neighborhood of the origin. Let \(\tau\) be the \(q^{\text th}\) power Frobenius map. Then, it acts on \({\mathcal F}_{n+1}\) by \(\tau f = \sum a_{m, {\mathbf k}}^q s^{q^{m+1}} {\mathbf t}^{q^{{\mathbf k}+1}}.\) Let \(d_s = \tau^{-1}\circ \Delta_s,\) called the \textit{Carlitz derivative}, where \(\Delta_z\) denotes the difference operator \(\Delta_z u(z) := u(x z) - x u(z)\) acting on functions of \(z.\) Then, \(d_s, \Delta_{t_1}, \ldots, \Delta_{t_n}\) act on \({\mathcal F}_{n+1}\) as \textit{partial difference operator} in the obvious manner. The Carlitz ring \({\mathfrak U}_{n+1}\) is a ring of operators generated by \(\tau, d_s, \Delta_{t_1}, \ldots, \Delta_{t_n}\) over the field \({\mathbf K}.\) The goal of this paper is to start the study of dimension theory of left modules over \({\mathfrak U}_1\) and more generally, over \({\mathfrak U}_{n+1}.\) The Carlitz ring is equipped with a filtration \(\{\Gamma_{\nu}\mid \nu \in {\mathbb Z}\}.\) Let \(M\) be a left module over \({\mathfrak U}_{n+1}\) together with a filtration \(\{{\mathfrak M}_j\}\) so that \(\Gamma_{\nu} {\mathfrak M}_j \subset {\mathfrak M}_{j+\nu}.\) When the associated graded module \(gr(M)\) is finitely generated over \(gr({\mathfrak U}_{n+1}),\) let \(d(M)\) be the Gelfand-Kirillov dimension of \(M.\) It is shown in the paper that \(d({\mathfrak U}_{n+1}) = n+2\) when \({\mathfrak U}_{n+1}\) is viewed as a \({\mathfrak U}_{n+1}\)-module. In general, we have \(d(M) \leq n+2.\) An \({\mathfrak U}_{n+1}\)-module \(M\) is called quasi-holonomic if \(d(M) = n+1.\) Moreover, a function \(f \in {\mathcal F}_{n+1}\) is called quasi-holonomic if the module \(M_f := {\mathfrak U}_{n+1}.f\) is quasi-holonomic. In fact, for \(f\) being quasi-holonomic, the set \(I_f = \{\varphi \in {\mathfrak U}_{n+1} \mid \varphi(f) = 0\}\) is a nonzero left ideal of \({\mathfrak U}_{n+1}.\) That is, \(f\) satisfies some non-trivial difference equations. One of the main result of the paper is that the converse is also true for \({\mathfrak U}_1\)-module (Theorem~2). More precisely, if a non-zero function \(f \in {\mathcal F}_1\) satisfies an equation \(\varphi(f) = 0\) for some nonzero \(\varphi \in {\mathfrak U}_1,\) then \(f\) is quasi-holonomic. The author also investigates conditions for a multi-variable function \(f\) being quasi-holonomic. Let \(f \in {\mathcal F}_{n+1}\) (\(n > 0\)) be a function given by a power series as above. Another main result (Theorem~3) says that if \(f\) is \textit{non-sparse} and satisfies an equation \(\varphi(f) = 0\) for some non-zero \(\varphi \in {\mathfrak U}_{n+1},\) then \(f\) is quasi-holonomic. As an application of his main result, the author shows that generating functions of sequences of some basic functions -- Carlitz polynomials, Thakur's hypergeometric polynomials etc. are quasi-holonomic functions.