Explicit Drinfeld moduli schemes and Abhyankar's generalized iteration conjecture (Q897554)

A classical theorem of Weber establishes that, if \(E\) is an elliptic curve over \(K={\mathbb Q}(j)\) with transcendental \(j\)-invariant \(j\), and \(K_n=K(E[n])\) is the field obtained by adjoining the coordinates of the \(n\)-torsion points of \(E\) to \(K\), then \(\roman{Gal}(K_n/K) \cong \roman{GL}_2({\mathbb Z}/n{\mathbb Z})\). \textit{S. S. Abhyankar} [Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 38, No. 2, 131--169 (2001; Zbl 0999.12003)] conjectured the analogous result for function fields over several variables. More precisely, let \(k\) be a field containing \({\mathbb F}_q\) and \(t\) be transcendental over \(k\). Let \(F=k(t)\), and let \(K:= F(a_1,\ldots,a_{r-1})\) where \(a_1,\ldots,a_{r-1}\) are algebraically independent over \(F\). Consider \(n\in A={\mathbb F}_q[t]\) be a monic polynomial and let \(\psi\) be the rank \(r\) Drinfeld \(A\)-module determined by \(\psi_t(X):=tX+a_1X^q+\cdots+a_{r-1} X^{q^{r-1}}+X^{q^r}\). Let \(K_n\) be the splitting field of \(\psi_n (X)\) over \(K\). Then the \textit{Generalized Iteration Conjecture} of Abhyankar is that \(\roman{Gal}(K_n/K)\cong \roman{GL}_r(A/nA)\). The main result of this paper is the proof of this conjecture (Theorem 6). The approach is based on a result of \textit{V. G. Drinfel'd} [Math. USSR, Sb. 23, 561--592 (1976; Zbl 0321.14014); translation from Mat. Sb., n. Ser. 94(136), 594--627 (1974)] that establishes that a particular morphism of Drinfeld moduli schemes is étale with a suitable Galois group. Along the way the author obtains an explicit construction of the Drinfeld moduli scheme of level \(tn\) (Theorem 2) and shows that this moduli scheme can be obtained from the torsion module of any sufficiently generic Drinfeld module including the one defined by Abhyankar \(\psi_t(X)\).