Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2008 / iii / Paper 28 / 3 / i / Solution

A one-dimensional commutative formal group law over the p-adic integers is a power series $\mathcal{F}(X,Y)\in {\mathbb{Z}}_p[[X,Y]]$ withIts linear part is $X+Y$, and it has a unique formal inverse $i(T)=-T+O(T^2)$ satisfying $\mathcal{F}(T,i(T))=0$. A formal-group homomorphism is a series $h(T)\in T{\mathbb{Z}}_p[[T]]$ satisfying $h(\mathcal{F}(X,Y))=\mathcal{F}(h(X),h(Y))$.

Define $[n](T)$ by adding $T$ to itself $n$ times with the formal group law. Induction on the linear part givesAssociativity and commutativity make $[n]$ a formal-group homomorphism. Since $p\nmid n$, its linear coefficient is a unit in ${\mathbb{Z}}_p$. We now construct its compositional inverse of a formal power series, rather than merely assert that the nonzero coefficient is sufficient.

Write $[n](T)=nT+a_2{T}^2+\cdots$ and seek $g(T)=b_{1}T+b_2{T}^2+\cdots$ with $[n](g(T))=T$. The degree-one coefficient gives $b_1=n^{-1}$. At degree $k\ge 2$, the coefficient is $n{b}_k$ plus a polynomial in the already chosen $b_1,\dots ,b_{k-1}$ and $a_2,\dots ,a_k$. Division by the unit $n$ uniquely chooses $b_k\in {\mathbb{Z}}_p$. This recursively constructs $g$ over the same ring. A right inverse is constructed in the same way; associativity of composition identifies it with $g$, so $g\circ [n]=[n]\circ g=T$.

To prove that $g$ respects the group law, apply $[n]$ to the two candidate series:Cancel by composing with $g$. The result is $\mathcal{F}(g(X),g(Y))=g(\mathcal{F}(X,Y))$. ThusThis is the multiplication isomorphism of a formal group law, a special case of the invertible morphism criterion for formal group laws. If $p\mid n$, its linear coefficient is not a unit, so the same isomorphism assertion would fail.