scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1359258
The present monograph lays foundations for a geometry of definable sets and maps over valued fields and ordered fields with an order compatible valuation. The author starts systematically with a discussion of certain basic subsets in a field \(K\) with a valuation \(\alpha\): The sets \[ B^+(a, \gamma)= \bigl\{x\in K\mid \alpha(x-a) \geq\gamma \bigr\},\;B^-(a, \gamma) =\bigl\{x\in K\mid\alpha (x-a)> \gamma\bigr\} \] are visualized as circles. The very general axiomatic notion of a circle system captures the most important property of the set of all circles of \((K,\alpha)\), i.e., either two circles are disjoint or one of them contains the other. In preparation for the study of ordered fields with an order compatible valuation, circle systems are discussed also in the context of totally ordered sets. The set theoretic operations lead to circles with holes, i.e., sets \(B-(B_1\cup \cdots\cup B_n)\) with \(B\) and \(B_1,\dots,B_n\) circles, \(B_1,\dots, B_n\subset B\), and circle patterns, i.e., finite unions of circles with holes. Every circle pattern has an essentially unique shortest description. As a next step, subsets of \(K\) are considered that can be defined using the valuation and univariate polynomials. Two uniform decomposition theorems show that the sets \[ Q^+(g,h)= \biggl\{x\in K\mid \alpha\bigl(g (x)\bigr) \geq\alpha \bigl(h(x) \bigr)\biggr\},\;Q^-(g,h)= \biggl\{x\in K\mid\alpha \bigl(g(x) \bigr)>\alpha \bigl(h(x) \bigr)\biggr\}, \] with \(g,h\in K[X]\), are always circle patterns. It is carefully discussed how the circle pattern depends on, and can be constructed from, the input data. A subset of \(K\) is called \(\alpha\)-algebraic if it is a Boolean combination of sets \(Q^+(g,h)\) and \(Q^-(g,h)\). The \(\alpha\)-algebraic sets are shown to be exactly the circle patterns. If the field \(K\) carries not only a valuation but also a total order compatible with the valuation then subsets of \(K\) and \(K^n\) can be defined using polynomials and both the valuation and the order relation. Such sets are called \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic. A function is \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic if its graph is \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic. These sets and functions are the basic objects of a geometry that is modeled after semialgebraic geometry. If the field is real closed, it is shown that a cylindrical algebraic decomposition always exists for a \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic set together with a finite set of polynomial functions. As an application, some fundamental results about the geometry of \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic sets are obtained: The Tarski principle (i.e., projections of \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic sets are \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic); curve selection; cell decompositions; path components. Exactly as in semialgebralc geometry there is a very well-behaved notion of dimension for \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic sets. Finally, a \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic version of Thom's lemma is proved, which leads to the stratification of \(\alpha\)-semialgebraic sets.
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