In this article we prove an analogue of the equidistribution of preimages theorem from complex dynamics for maps of good reduction over nonarchimedean fields. While in general our result is only a partial analogue of the complex equidistribution theorem, for most maps of good reduction it is a complete analogue. In the particular case when the nonarchimedean field in question is equipped with the trivial absolute value, we are able to supply a strengthening of the theorem, namely that the preimages...

Given a rational function $\varphi \left(T\right)$ on ${\mathbb{P}}^1$ of degree at least 2 with coefficients in a number field $k$, we show that for each place $v$ of $k$, there is a unique probability measure ${\mu }_{\varphi ,v}$ on the Berkovich space ${\mathbb{P}}_{\mathrm{Berk},\mathrm{v}}^1/{ℂ}_v$ such that if $\left\{z_n\right\}$ is a sequence of points in ${\mathbb{P}}^1\left(\overline{k}\right)$ whose $\varphi$-canonical heights tend to zero, then the $z_n$’s and their $\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{k}/k)$-conjugates are equidistributed with respect to ${\mu }_{\varphi ,v}$.The proof uses a polynomial lift $F(x,y)=(F_1(x,y),F_2(x,y))$ of $\varphi$ to construct a two-variable Arakelov-Green’s function $g_{\varphi ,v}(x,y)$ for each $v$. The measure ${\mu }_{\varphi ,v}$ is obtained by taking the...

We consider a dynamical system consisting of a pair of commuting power series under composition, one noninvertible and another nontorsion invertible, of height one with coefficients in the $p$-adic integers. Assuming that each point of the dynamical system generates a Galois extension over the base field, we show that these extensions are in fact abelian, and, using results from the theory of the field of norms, we also show that the dynamical system must include a torsion series. From an earlier...

We overview a unified approach to the André-Oort and Manin-Mumford conjectures based on a combination of Galois-theoretic and ergodic techniques. This paper is based on recent work of Klingler, Ullmo and Yafaev on the André-Oort conjecture, and of Ratazzi and Ullmo on the Manin-Mumford conjecture.

We study the behavior of canonical height functions $h{̂}_f$, associated to rational maps f, on totally p-adic fields. In particular, we prove that there is a gap between zero and the next smallest value of $h{̂}_f$ on the maximal totally p-adic field if the map f has at least one periodic point not contained in this field. As an application we prove that there is no infinite subset X in the compositum of all number fields of degree at most d such that f(X) = X for some non-linear polynomial f. This answers a...

For any field $K$ equipped with a set of pairwise inequivalent absolute values satisfying a product formula, we completely describe the conditions under which Newton’s method applied to a squarefree polynomial $f\in K\left[x\right]$ will succeed in finding some root of $f$ in the $v$-adic topology for infinitely many places $v$ of $K$. Furthermore, we show that if $K$ is a finite extension of the rationals or of the rational function field over a finite field, then the Newton approximation sequence fails to converge $v$-adically...

Let $\varphi :X\to X$ be a morphism of a variety defined over a number field $K$, let $V\subset X$ be a $K$-subvariety, and let ${𝒪}_{\varphi }\left(P\right)=\{{\varphi }^n\left(P\right):n\ge 0\}$ be the orbit of a point $P\in X\left(K\right)$. We describe a local-global principle for the intersection $V\cap {𝒪}_{\varphi }\left(P\right)$. This principle may be viewed as a dynamical analog of the Brauer–Manin obstruction. We show that the rational points of $V\left(K\right)$ are Brauer–Manin unobstructed for power maps on ${\mathbb{P}}^2$ in two cases: (1) $V$ is a translate of a torus. (2) $V$ is a line and $P$ has a preperiodic coordinate. A key tool in the proofs is the classical...

We consider two issues concerning polynomial cycles. Namely, for a discrete valuation domain $R$ of positive characteristic (for $N\ge 1$) or for any Dedekind domain $R$ of positive characteristic (but only for $N\ge 2$), we give a closed formula for a set $𝒞YCL(R,N)$ of all possible cycle-lengths for polynomial mappings in $R^N$. Then we give a new property of sets $𝒞YCL(R,1)$, which refutes a kind of conjecture posed by W. Narkiewicz.

Bombieri and Zannier established lower and upper bounds for the limit infimum of the Weil height in fields of totally $p$-adic numbers and generalizations thereof. In this paper, we use potential theoretic techniques to generalize the upper bounds from their paper and, under the assumption of integrality, to improve slightly upon their bounds.

In this paper, the local convergence analysis of the family of Kung-Traub's two-point method and the convergence ball for this family are obtained and the dynamical behavior on quadratic and cubic polynomials of the resulting family is studied. We use complex dynamic tools to analyze their stability and show that the region of stable members of this family is vast. Numerical examples are also presented in this study. This method is compared with several widely used solution methods by solving test...

Let $f$ be a polynomial of degree at least 2 with coefficients in a number field $K$, let $x_0$ be a sufficiently general element of $K$, and let $\alpha$ be a root of $f$. We give precise conditions under which Newton iteration, started at the point $x_0$, converges $v$-adically to the root $\alpha$ for infinitely many places $v$ of $K$. As a corollary we show that if $f$ is irreducible over $K$ of degree at least 3, then Newton iteration converges $v$-adically to any given root of $f$ for infinitely many places $v$. We also conjecture that...

We show how rational points on certain varieties parametrize phenomena arising in the Galois theory of iterates of quadratic polynomials. As an example, we characterize completely the set of quadratic polynomials x²+c whose third iterate has a "small" Galois group by determining the rational points on some elliptic curves. It follows as a corollary that the only integer value with this property is c=3, answering a question of Rafe Jones. Furthermore, using a result of Granville's on the rational...

1. Let R be a domain and f ∈ R[X] a polynomial. A k-tuple $x₀,x₁,...,x_{k-1}$ of distinct elements of R is called a cycle of f if $f\left(x_i\right)=x_{i+1}$ for i=0,1,...,k-2 and $f\left(x_{k-1}\right)=x₀$. The number k is called the length of the cycle. A tuple is a cycle in R if it is a cycle for some f ∈ R[X]. It has been shown in [1] that if R is the ring of all algebraic integers in a finite extension K of the rationals, then the possible lengths of cycles of R-polynomials are bounded by the number $7^{7·2^N}$, depending only on the degree N of K. In this note we consider...

Let $K$ be a number field. Let $S$ be a finite set of places of $K$ containing all the archimedean ones. Let $R_S$ be the ring of $S$-integers of $K$. In the present paper we consider endomorphisms of ${\mathbb{P}}_1$ of degree $2$, defined over $K$, with good reduction outside $S$. We prove that there exist only finitely many such endomorphisms, up to conjugation by ${\mathrm{PGL}}_2\left(R_S\right)$, admitting a periodic point in ${\mathbb{P}}_1\left(K\right)$ of order $\>3$. Also, all but finitely many classes with a periodic point in ${\mathbb{P}}_1\left(K\right)$ of order $3$ are parametrized by an irreducible curve.

We show how the size of the Galois groups of iterates of a quadratic polynomial f can be parametrized by certain rational points on the curves Cₙ: y² = fⁿ(x) and their quadratic twists (here fⁿ denotes the nth iterate of f). To that end, we study the arithmetic of such curves over global and finite fields, translating key problems in the arithmetic of polynomial iteration into a geometric framework. This point of view has several dynamical applications. For instance, we establish a maximality theorem...