We formulate a general question regarding the size of the iterated Galois groups associated to an algebraic dynamical system and then we discuss some special cases of our question.
Let $K$ be the function field of a smooth, irreducible curve defined over $overline{mathbb{Q}}$. Let $fin K[x]$ be of the form $f(x)=x^q+c$ where $q = p^{r}, r ge 1,$ is a power of the prime number $p$, and let $betain overline{K}$. For all $ninmathb
b{N}cup{infty}$, the Galois groups $G_n(beta)=mathop{rm{Gal}}(K(f^{-n}(beta))/K(beta))$ embed into $[C_q]^n$, the $n$-fold wreath product of the cyclic group $C_q$. We show that if $f$ is not isotrivial, then $[[C_q]^infty:G_infty(beta)]<infty$ unless $beta$ is postcritical or periodic. We are also able to prove that if $f_1(x)=x^q+c_1$ and $f_2(x)=x^q+c_2$ are two such distinct polynomials, then the fields $bigcup_{n=1}^infty K(f_1^{-n}(beta))$ and $bigcup_{n=1}^infty K(f_2^{-n}(beta))$ are disjoint over a finite extension of $K$.
The arboreal Galois group of a polynomial $f$ over a field $K$ encodes the action of Galois on the iterated preimages of a root point $x_0in K$, analogous to the action of Galois on the $ell$-power torsion of an abelian variety. We compute the arbore
al Galois group of the postcritically finite polynomial $f(z) = z^2 - 1$ when the field $K$ and root point $x_0$ satisfy a simple condition. We call the resulting group the arithmetic basilica group because of its relation to the basilica group associated with the complex dynamics of $f$. For $K=mathbb{Q}$, our condition holds for infinitely many choices of $x_0$.
Let K be a non-archimedean field, and let f in K(z) be a rational function of degree d>1. If f has potentially good reduction, we give an upper bound, depending only on d, for the minimal degree of an extension L/K such that f is conjugate over L to
a map of good reduction. In particular, if d=2 or d is greater than the residue characteristic of K, the bound is d+1. If K is discretely valued, we give examples to show that our bound is sharp.
In this paper we generalize results of P. Le Duff to genus n hyperelliptic curves. More precisely, let C/Q be a hyperelliptic genus n curve and let J(C) be the associated Jacobian variety. Assume that there exists a prime p such that J(C) has semista
ble reduction with toric dimension 1 at p. We provide an algorithm to compute a list of primes l (if they exist) such that the Galois representation attached to the l-torsion of J(C) is surjective onto the group GSp(2n, l). In particular we realize GSp(6, l) as a Galois group over Q for all primes l in [11, 500000].
In the 1990s, J.H. Conway published a combinatorial-geometric method for analyzing integer-valued binary quadratic forms (BQFs). Using a visualization he named the topograph, Conway revisited the reduction of BQFs and the solution of quadratic Diopha
ntine equations such as Pells equation. It appears that the crux of his method is the coincidence between the arithmetic group $PGL_2({mathbb Z})$ and the Coxeter group of type $(3,infty)$. There are many arithmetic Coxeter groups, and each may have unforeseen applications to arithmetic. We introduce Conways topograph, and generalizations to other arithmetic Coxeter groups. This includes a study of arithmetic flags and variants of binary quadratic forms.