Formal logarithm (${\log }_F$)

Over a characteristic-zero field, a one-dimensional commutative formal group law has a unique strict isomorphism to the additive formal group, called its formal logarithm. It satisfies ${\log }_F(F(X,Y))={\log }_F(X)+{\log }_F(Y)$.

For an integral one-dimensional formal group law over a finite extension of the p-adic field, the inverse of ${\partial }_{Y}F(T,0)$ has integral coefficients because its constant term is one. Integrating this invariant differential gives ${\log }_F(T)=T+{\sum }_{n\ge 2}{c}_n{T}^n$ with $n{c}_n$ integral. For $v_K(\pi )=1$ and $e=v_K(p)$ the displayed bound follows. The estimate $v_p(n)\le (n-1)/(p-1)$ makes the nonlinear part strictly contracting on ${\pi }^s{\mathcal{O}}_K$ for $s>e/(p-1)$, yielding the deep logarithm subgroup of a formal group.

Let $F$ be a formal group law over the valuation ring of a finite extension $K/{\mathbb{Q}}_p$, with $v_K(\pi )=1$ and $e=v_K(p)$. If $m>e/(p-1)$, its formal logarithm is an isomorphism $F({\pi }^m{\mathcal{O}}_K)\to ({\pi }^m{\mathcal{O}}_K,+)$. Indeed, its scaled series is $U+\pi R(U)$ with $R$ integral and convergent on ${\mathcal{O}}_K$; solving by contraction produces the formal group exponential. The subgroup has index $q^{m-1}$ in $F(\pi {\mathcal{O}}_K)$, where $q$ is the residue-field order.

Let $E/{\mathbb{Q}}_p$ have good reduction, and choose an integer $m>1/(p-1)$. Its filtration of elliptic-curve points over a local field has a torsion-free group $E_m$ identified by the formal logarithm with $p^m{\mathbb{Z}}_p$. The quotient group $G=E({\mathbb{Q}}_p)/E_m$ is finite. For $g\in G$ of order of a group element $N$, choose a lift $P$. There is a torsion point of an elliptic curve in this coset exactly when the displayed condition holds. Indeed, it is equivalent to the existence of $Q\in E_m$ with $[N]Q=[N]P$. Then $P-Q$ is killed by $N$; conversely every torsion representative has order $N$, since $E_m$ is torsion-free. The logarithmic division and the formal group exponential give the unique such $Q$. Changing the lift changes the logarithm by an element of $N{p}^m{\mathbb{Z}}_p$, so the criterion is well-defined. This finite-coset test includes residue-characteristic torsion; only the prime-to-p torsion lifts uniquely at good reduction are automatic.

For a one-dimensional commutative integral formal group law, the formal logarithm identifies $F(4{\mathbb{Z}}_2)$ with $4{\mathbb{Z}}_2$. This is an index-two subgroup of $F(2{\mathbb{Z}}_2)$. Choose a topological generator $h$ of the subgroup and an element $v$ outside it, and write $2v=ch$. If $c$ is odd, $v$ generates the whole group. If $c$ is even, $v-(c/2)h$ has order two and splits off a cyclic factor. The formal additive group and formal multiplicative group realize the two cases.

For odd $p$, a one-dimensional formal group law over ${\mathbb{Z}}_p$ has a formal logarithm ${\log }_F(T)=T+{\sum }_{j\ge 2}{c}_j{T}^j/j$ with $c_j\in {\mathbb{Z}}_p$. This follows by integrating its integral invariant differential. For $t\in p{\mathbb{Z}}_p\setminus \{0\}$, $v_p(c_j{t}^j/j)>v_p(t)$ for $j\ge 2$. Hence the series converges and $v_p({\log }_F(t))=v_p(t)$, so its kernel is zero. As it is a homomorphism into a characteristic-zero additive group, there is no nonzero torsion. In particular, at an odd prime of good reduction over $\mathbb{Q}$, reduction injects the whole rational torsion subgroup, including its $p$-primary part.

The formal group exponential is the compositional inverse of the formal logarithm. On a sufficiently small neighborhood over a characteristic-zero local field, both series converge and identify the formal group with the additive group.