Branch points of split degenerate superelliptic curves I: non-archimedean uniformization

Abstract: Let

K

be a field with a discrete valuation, and let

p

be a prime. It is known that if

G a m m a l h d G a m m a_{0} < m a t h r m {P G L}_{2} (K)

is a Schottky group normally contained in a larger group which is generated by order-

p

elements each fixing

2

points

a_{i}, b_{i} i n m a t h b b P_{K}^{1}

, then the quotient of a certain subset of the projective line

m a t h b b P_{K}^{1}

by the action of

G a m m a

can be algebraized as a superelliptic curve

C : y^{p} = f (x) / K

. The subset

S s u b s e t m a t h b b P_{K}^{1}

consisting of these pairs

a_{i}, b_{i}

of fixed points is mapped modulo

G a m m a

to the set of branch points of the superelliptic map

x : C o m a t h b b P_{K}^{1}

. We produce an algorithm for determining whether an input even-cardinality subset

S s u b s e t m a t h b b P_{K}^{1}

consists of fixed points of generators of such a group

G a m m a_{0}

and which, in the case of a positive answer, modifies

S

into a subset

S^{m a t h r m m i n} s u b s e t m a t h b b P_{K}^{1}

with particularly nice properties. Our results do not involve any restrictions on the prime

p

or on the residue characteristic of

K

and allow these to be the same.

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