English

A Note on Hilbert's "Geometric" Tenth Problem

Logic 2021-11-16 v5 Number Theory

Abstract

This paper explores undecidability in theories of positive characteristic function fields in the "geometric" language of rings LF={0,1,+,,F}\mathcal{L}_F = \{0, 1, +, \cdot, F\}, with a unary predicate FF for nonconstant elements. In particular we are motivated by a question of Fehm on the decidability of \mboxTh(Fp(t);LF)\mbox{Th}_{\exists}(\mathbb{F}_p(t); \mathcal{L}_F); equivalently, that of \mboxTh(Fp(t);Lr)\mbox{Th}_{\exists}(\mathbb{F}_p(t); \mathcal{L}_r) without parameters. We indicate how to generalise existing machinery to prove the undecidability of \mboxTh1(K;LF)\mbox{Th}_{\forall^1\exists}(K; \mathcal{L}_F) without parameters, where KK is the function field of a curve over an algebraic extension of Fp\mathbb{F}_p, not algebraically closed. We discuss the problem (and its geometric implications) further in this context too.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1909.09537,
  title  = {A Note on Hilbert's "Geometric" Tenth Problem},
  author = {Brian Tyrrell},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1909.09537},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

14 pages, comments welcome. Corrected result from previous version

R2 v1 2026-06-23T11:21:30.764Z