Abstract: Let K be a field and ilde{K} denote the set of all r in K for which there exists a finite set A(r) with {r} subseteq A(r) subseteq K such that each mapping f:A(r) o K that satisfies: if 1 in A(r) then f(1)=1, if a,b in A(r) and a+b in A(r) then f(a+b)=f(a)+f(b), if a,b in A(r) and a cdot b in A(r) then f(a cdot b)=f(a) cdot f(b), satisfies also f(r)=r. We prove: ilde{K} is a subfield of K, ilde{K}={x in K: {x} is existentially first-order definable in the language of rings without parameters}, if some subfield of K is algebraically closed then ilde{K} is the prime field in K, some elements of ilde{K} are transcendental over Q (over R, over Q_p) for a large class of fields K that are finitely generated over Q (that extend R, that extend Q_p), if K is a Pythagorean subfield of R, t is transcendental over K, and r in K is recursively approximable, then {r} is emptyset-definable in (K(t),+,cdot,0,1), if a real number r is recursively approximable then {r} is existentially emptyset-definable in (R,+,cdot,0,1,U) for some unary predicate U which is implicitly emptyset-definable in (R,+,cdot,0,1).
An arithmetic characterization of elements in a field which are definable by an existential formula without parameters is given. These elements form a subfield \(\overline{K}\) of the given field \(K\). It is shown that \(\overline{K}\) is the prime subfield \(P\) of \(K\) whenever the algebraic closure of \(P\) is contained in \(K\). By contrast, it is shown that for many finitely generated fields \(K\) of characteristic \(0\), \(\overline{K}\) is transcendental over the field \(\mathbb{Q}\) of rationals. Finally it is shown that all transcendental real numbers which are recursively approximable by rationals are definable in the field \(\mathbb{R}(t)\), and the same holds with \(\mathbb{R}\) replaced by any Pythagorean subfield of \(\mathbb{R}\).
