Decidability of the theory of addition and the Frobenius map in certain rings of rational functions

Abstract

We prove model completeness for the theory of addition and the Frobenius map for certain subrings of rational functions in positive characteristic. More precisely: Let p be a prime number, F_p the prime field with p elements, F a field algebraic over F_p and z a variable. We show that the structures of rings R, which are generated over F[z] by adjoining a finite set of inverses of irreducible polynomials of F[z] (e.g., R = F_p[z, 1/z]), with addition, the Frobenius map x -> x^p and the predicate ‘in F’ - together with function symbols and constants that allow building all elements of F_p[z] - are model complete, i.e., each formula is equivalent to an existential formula. Further, we show that in these structures all questions, i.e., first order sentences, about the rings R may be, constructively, translated into questions about F.

Publication
Panhellenic Logic Symposium, August 2021