Schinzel's problem: imprimitive covers and the monodromy method

DOI10.4064/AA155-1-3zbMATH Open1276.11043arXiv1104.1740OpenAlexW2964059997MaRDI QIDQ2919664FDOQ2919664

Authors: Michael D. Fried, Ivica Gusić 

Publication date: 5 October 2012

Published in: Acta Arithmetica (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Schinzel's original problem was to describe when an expression f(x)-g(y), with f,g nonconstant and having complex coefficients, is reducible. We call such an (f,g) a Schinzel pair if this happens nontrivially: f(x)-g(y) is newly reducible. Fried accomplished this as a special case of a result in "http://www.math.uci.edu/~mfried/paplist-ff/dav-red.pdf">dav-red.pdf, when f is indecomposable. That work featured using primitive permutation representations. Even after 42 years going beyond using primitivity is a challenge to the monodromy method despite many intervening related papers (see http://www.math.uci.edu/~mfried/paplist-ff/UMStory.pdf">UMStory.pdf. Here we develop a formula for branch cycles that characterizes Schinzel pairs satisfying a condition of Avanzi, Gusic and Zannier and relate it to this ongoing story.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1104.1740

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zbMATH Keywords

Davenport's Problemfactorization of variables separated polynomialsSchinzel's Problem

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Polynomials in number theory (11C08) Polynomials in general fields (irreducibility, etc.) (12E05)

Cited In (2)

• Variables separated equations: strikingly different roles for the branch cycle lemma and the finite simple group classification
• From hyperelliptic to superelliptic curves

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