Ramification filtration and differential forms

Abstract

Let $L$ be a complete discrete valuation field of prime characteristic $p$ with finite residue field. Denote by $\Gamma_{L}^{(v)}$ the ramification subgroups of $\Gamma_{L}=\operatorname{Gal}(L^{\mathrm{sep}}/L)$. We consider the category $\operatorname{M\Gamma}_{L}^{\mathrm{Lie}}$ of finite $\mathbb{Z}_p[\Gamma_{L}]$-modules $H$, satisfying some additional (Lie)-condition on the image of $\Gamma_L$ in $\operatorname{Aut}_{\mathbb{Z}_p}H$. In the paper it is proved that all information about the images of the groups $\Gamma_L^{(v)}$ in $\operatorname{Aut}_{\mathbb{Z}_p}H$ can be explicitly extracted from some differential forms $\widetilde{\Omega} [N]$ on the Fontaine etale $\phi $-module $M(H)$ associated with $H$. The forms $\widetilde{\Omega}[N]$ are completely determined by a canonical connection $\nabla $ on $M(H)$. In the case of fields $L$ of mixed characteristic, which contain a primitive $p$th root of unity, we show that a similar problem for $\mathbb{F}_p[\Gamma_L]$-modules also admits a solution. In this case we use the field-of-norms functor to construct the corresponding $\phi $-module together with the action of the Galois group of a cyclic extension $L_1$ of $L$ of degree $p$. Then our solution involves the characteristic $p$ part (provided by the field-of-norms functor) and the condition for a "good" lift of a generator of $\operatorname{Gal}(L_1/L)$. Apart from the above differential forms the statement of this condition uses the power series coming from the $p$-adic period of the formal group $\mathbb{G}_m$.