Irreducibility properties of Keller maps

Abstract: Jedrzejewicz showed that a polynomial map over a field of characteristic zero is invertible, if and only if the corresponding endomorphism maps irreducible polynomials to irreducible polynomials. Furthermore, he showed that a polynomial map over a field of characteristic zero is a Keller map, if and only if the corresponding endomorphism maps irreducible polynomials to square-free polynomials. We show that the latter endomorphism maps other square-free polynomials to square-free polynomials as well. In connection with the above classification of invertible polynomial maps and the Jacobian Conjecture, we study irreducible properties of several types of Keller maps, to each of which the Jacobian Conjecture can be reduced. Herewith, we generalize the result of Bakalarski, that the components of cubic homogeneous Keller maps with a symmetric Jacobian matrix (over C and hence any field of characteristic zero) are irreducible. Furthermore, we show that the Jacobian Conjecture can even be reduced to any of these types with the extra condition that each affinely linear combination of the components of the polynomial map is irreducible. This is somewhat similar to reducing the planar Jacobian Conjecture to the so-called (planar) weak Jacobian Conjecture by Kaliman.