17 Differential Galois Theory

The Galois theory of linear differential equations is the analogue of the classical Galois theory of polynomial equations for linear differential equations. The natural analogue of the field in the classical case is the differential field. This is a field equipped with a derivation. We have constructed a basic facility for differential fields and rings. These types can be built from the algebraic function field or affine algebra types. Our medium term goal is to construct a fast solver for linear differential equations.

17.1 Differential Rings and Fields

  • Construction of the rational differential field and the more general differential ring

  • Coercions, arithmetic and functionality for elements as for the underlying ring.

  • Changing the derivation of a differential ring.

  • Extending the constant ring of a differential ring

  • Wronskian matrix and Wronskian determinant

  • The differential constant field of a rational differential field

  • Ring and field extensions of differential rings and fields

  • Construction of a differential ideal

  • Quotient rings, rings and field of fractions of differential rings and fields

17.2 Differential Operator Rings

  • Creation of a differential operator ring

  • Coercion, arithmetic and simple predicates for elements

  • Accessing coefficients of elements

  • Changing the derivation of a differential operator ring.

  • Changing the operator ring by extending the constant ring

  • Making a differential operator monic.

  • Adjoint of an operator

  • Applying an operator to an element of its basering

  • Euclidean algorithms, left and right (extended) GCD, (extended) left LCM

  • Companion matrix of an operator.

  • Determination of whether a place is regular, regular singular or irregular singular at an operator

  • All singular points of an operator

  • The indicial polynomial of an operator at a place

  • All rational solutions of an operator within a rational differential field

  • Newton polygon and Newton polynomial

  • Differential field extension of the base ring of an operator by adjoining a formal solution and formal derivatives

  • The symmetric power of an operator