English

Surreal numbers, derivations and transseries

Logic 2018-02-21 v3

Abstract

Several authors have conjectured that Conway's field of surreal numbers, equipped with the exponential function of Kruskal and Gonshor, can be described as a field of transseries and admits a compatible differential structure of Hardy-type. In this paper we give a complete positive solution to both problems. We also show that with this new differential structure, the surreal numbers are Liouville closed, namely the derivation is surjective.

Cite

@article{arxiv.1503.00315,
  title  = {Surreal numbers, derivations and transseries},
  author = {Alessandro Berarducci and Vincenzo Mantova},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1503.00315},
  year   = {2018}
}

Comments

47 pages; minor corrections and typographical improvements

R2 v1 2026-06-22T08:41:06.497Z