Graded rings associated to valuations and direct limits (Q2684788)

Key polynomials are one of the main approaches to the study of valuation theory. In this paper, the authors study the link between key polynomials and the graded ring associated to a valuation. Let \(\nu\) be a valuation on \(\mathbb{K}[x]\), where \(\mathbb{K}\) is a field and \(x\) an indeterminate. For every \(\gamma\in\nu(\mathbb{K}[x])\), define \(P_\gamma=\{f\in\mathbb{K}[x]\mid \nu(f)\geq\gamma\}\) and \(P_\gamma^+=\{f\in\mathbb{K}[x]\mid \nu(f)>\gamma\}\): then, the graded ring associated to \(\nu\) is \[ \mathcal{G}_\nu=\mathrm{gr}(\mathbb{K}[x])=\bigoplus_{\gamma\in\nu(\mathbb{K}[x])}P_\gamma/P_\gamma^+. \] Let \(\nu_0\) be a valuation on \(\mathbb{K}\) and let \(\mathcal{V}\) be the union of \(\{\nu_0\}\) and of all extension on \(\mathbb{K}[x]\) with value in a fixed totally ordered group \(\Gamma\), and endow \(\mathcal{V}\) with the order given by \(\nu_0\leq\nu\) and \(\nu\leq\mu\) if \(\nu(f)\leq\mu(f)\) for every \(f\in\mathbb{K}[x]\) (for \(\nu,\mu\neq\nu_0\)). The authors study the relationship between the graded ring associated to a valuation and the order on \(\mathcal{V}\). Given a totally ordered set \(\mathfrak{v}=\{\nu_i\}_{i\in I}\subseteq\mathcal{V}\), they describe the direct limit \(\varinjlim\mathcal{G}_{\nu_i}\) and show that, if \(\mathfrak{v}\) is bounded above by \(\nu\), then the direct limit is naturally isomorphic to a subring of \(\mathcal{G}_\nu\). Moreover, the direct limit, and is isomorphic either to \(\mathcal{G}_\nu\) (where \(\nu\) is the maximum of \(\mathfrak{v}\)) or to a polynomial ring \(\mathcal{G}_\mu[Y]\) (where \(\mu\) is an explicitly defined element of \(\mathcal{V}\)), according to a property of \(\mathfrak{v}\). Using these results, they describe the graded ring associated to a key polynomial and to a valuation-algebraic valuation.