The finite-index criterion for arboreal Galois groups of quadratic rational maps

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Let KK be the field from which the rational map is defined, let ϕ∈K(x)\phi\in K(x) be a rational function of degree 22, and let T\mathcal{T} be the complete rooted 22-ary tree attached to ϕ\phi. Let GϕG_{\phi} be the image of the associated arboreal Galois representation. A critical point of ϕ\phi is a point γ∈P1\gamma\in\mathbb P^1 such that ϕ′(γ)=0\phi'(\gamma)=0, and ϕ\phi is post-critically finite if the orbit of every critical point under ϕ\phi is finite. Finite-index criterion. The index of GϕG_{\phi} in Aut⁡(T)\operatorname{Aut}(\mathcal{T}) is finite if and only if one of the following holds: (1) ϕ\phi is post-critically finite; (2) the two critical points γ1\gamma_1 and γ2\gamma_2 satisfy ϕ(r+1)(γ1)=ϕ(r+1)(γ2)\phi^{(r+1)}(\gamma_1)=\phi^{(r+1)}(\gamma_2) for some r≥1r\geq 1; (3) 00 is periodic under ϕ\phi; or (4) there is a non-trivial Möbius transformation mm fixing 00 such that ϕ∘m=m∘ϕ\phi\circ m=m\circ\phi. This gives a proposed classification of when the arboreal Galois image has finite index; the supplied text does not state whether the criterion has been proved or remains open.

References

Primary source

Andrea Ferraguti, “The set of stable primes for polynomial sequences with large Galois group”, arXiv:1704.02204 (2017).

Additional references

2 papers in this index state this conjecture (2014–2017). The statement above is taken from the most recent of them; the others are arXiv:1402.6018.

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