First-order definitions in function fields over anti-Mordellic fields

Bjorn Poonen, Florian Pop

Published 2006-02-24Version 1

A field k is called anti-Mordellic if every smooth curve over k with a k-point has infinitely many k-points. We prove that for a function field over an anti-Mordellic field, the subfield of constants is defined by a certain universal first order formula. Under additional hypotheses regarding 2-cohomological dimension we prove that algebraic dependence of an n-tuple of elements in such a function field can be described by a first order formula, for each n. We also give a result that lets one distinguish various classes of fields using first order sentences.