Relative fundamental groups and rational points (Q899682)

Given a Serre fibration \(f\:X\to S\) with connected base and fibers \(X_-:=f^{-1}(-)\) and a section \(p\:S\to X\), the fundamental groups \(\pi_1(X_{-},p({-}))\) constitute a (nonabelian) local system over~\(S\), and any other section \(q\:S\to X\) gives rise to an element of the classifying space \(H^1(S;\pi_1(X_{-},p({-})))\). \textit{M. Kim} [Publ. Res. Inst. Math. Sci. 45, No. 1, 89--133 (2009; Zbl 1165.14020)], using a certain ``de Rham fundamental group'', employs these ideas in his study of rational points of algebraic curves defined over an algebraic number field~\(K\). In the paper under review, the author makes an attempt to translate Kim's arguments to the case when \(K\) is a finite extension of the function field \(\mathbb F_p(t)\) of positive characteristic. He shows that, ``under very restrictive hypotheses'', the Frobenius invariant part of the classifying space has a structure of an algebraic variety. According to the author, there is still ``a very large amount of work to be done'' in order to make Kim's methods work in the case of positive characteristic.