Arithmetic descent of specializations of Galois covers (1412.1682v4)

Abstract: Given a $G$-Galois branched cover of the projective line over a number field $K$, we study whether there exists a closed point of $\mathbb{P}^1_K$ with a connected fiber such that the $G$-Galois field extension induced by specialization "arithmetically descends" to $\mathbb{Q}$ (i.e., there exists a $G$-Galois field extension of $\mathbb{Q}$ whose compositum with the residue field of the point is equal to the specialization). We prove that the answer is frequently positive (whenever $G$ is regularly realizable over $\mathbb{Q}$) if one first allows a base change to a finite extension of $K$. If one does not allow base change, we prove that the answer is positive when $G$ is cyclic. Furthermore, we provide an explicit example of a Galois branched cover of $\mathbb{P}^1_K$ with no $K$-rational points of arithmetic descent.