Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2005 / iii / Paper 30 / 1

Put $X=1+T$ and $Y=X^p-1$, so that $\varphi (f)=f(Y)$. The essential integrality statement for the Frobenius substitution on cyclotomic power series is the decomposition into a finite free module:To prove it, reduce modulo $p$. Since $Y\equiv T^p$, grouping the coefficients of a formal power series according to their exponents modulo $p$ gives the unique expression ${\sum }_{j=0}^{p-1}{T}^j{h}_j(T^p)$. The change from $1,T,\dots ,T^{p-1}$ to $1,X,\dots ,X^{p-1}$ is a triangular matrix with diagonal entries $1$, so this is also a basis over ${\mathbb{F}}_p[[T^p]]$. Lift these $p$ coefficient series to $R$, subtract their contribution from $f$, divide the remaining error by $p$, and repeat. The sums of the successive lifts converge in the finer of the topologies on integral formal power series, because $R$ is complete in that topology. This proves existence of the decomposition over $R$. A relation among its summands reduces to the zero relation modulo $p$, forcing each coefficient series to be divisible by $p$. Repetition forces divisibility by every power of $p$, hence every coefficient series is zero. This proves uniqueness and, in particular, injectivity of $\varphi$.

For $f={\sum }_{i=0}^{p-1}{X}^i\varphi (f_i)$, defineThis is a ${\mathbb{Z}}_p$-linear map. To calculate the average over roots of unity, work over $\mathcal{O}={\mathbb{Z}}_p[{\zeta }_p]$. The substitutions $T\mapsto \zeta X-1$ are legitimate: their constant terms are topologically nilpotent, so the defining coefficient sums converge in $\mathcal{O}$. Since $(\zeta X{)}^p=X^p$, each $\varphi (f_i)$ is unchanged by the substitution. The sums of the powers of the roots of unity are $p$ for $i=0$ and zero for $1\le i<p$. ConsequentlyThus the average is integral and belongs to $\varphi (R)$, and the constructed Coleman trace operator has the required property. Injectivity of $\varphi$ forces uniqueness of any map satisfying that property. Finally, the decomposition of $\varphi (g)$ has $f_0=g$ and all other coefficients zero, giving $S\circ \varphi ={\mathrm{id}}_R$.

We will also use the trace of multiplication by $h$ on this finite free module. After extending scalars to split the conjugates, that trace is the sum just computed. Hence