In mathematics, a field is pseudo algebraically closed if it satisfies certain properties which hold for algebraically closed fields. The concept was introduced by James Ax in 1967.

Formulation

A field K is pseudo algebraically closed (usually abbreviated by PAC) if one of the following equivalent conditions holds:

• Each absolutely irreducible-rational point.

• .

• -rational points.

• is a finitely generated integral domain with quotient field which is regular, then there exist a homomorphism.

Examples

• Algebraically closed fields and separably closed fields are always PAC.

• Pseudo-finite fields and hyper-finite fields are PAC.

• A non-principal ultraproduct of distinct finite fields is (pseudo-finite and hence) PAC. Ax deduces this from the Riemann hypothesis for curves over finite fields.

• Infinite algebraic extensions of finite fields are PAC.

• The PAC Nullstellensatz. The absolute Galois group is profinite, hence compact, and hence equipped with a normalized Haar measure be a countable Hilbertian field be a positive integer, the fixed field of the subgroup generated by the automorphisms is PAC. Here the phrase "almost all" means "all but a set of measure zero". (This result is a consequence of Hilbert's irreducibility theorem.)

• Let K be the maximal totally real Galois extension of the rational numbers and i the square root of −1. Then K(i) is PAC.

Properties

• The Brauer group of a PAC field is trivial, as any Severi–Brauer variety has a rational point.

• The absolute Galois group of a PAC field is a projective profinite group; equivalently, it has cohomological dimension at most 1.

• A PAC field of characteristic zero is C1.

References