On the automorphisms of the Drinfeld modular groups

Abstract

Let [Formula: see text] be the ring of elements in an algebraic function field [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text] which are integral outside a fixed place [Formula: see text]. In contrast to the classical modular group [Formula: see text] and the Bianchi groups, the Drinfeld modular group [Formula: see text] is not finitely generated and its automorphism group [Formula: see text] is uncountable. Except for the simplest case [Formula: see text] not much is known about the generators of [Formula: see text] or even its structure. We find a set of generators of [Formula: see text] for a new case. On the way, we show that every automorphism of [Formula: see text] acts on both the cusps and the elliptic points of [Formula: see text]. Generalizing a result of Reiner for [Formula: see text] we describe for each cusp an uncountable subgroup of [Formula: see text] whose action on [Formula: see text] is essentially defined on the stabilizer of that cusp. In the case where [Formula: see text] (the degree of [Formula: see text]) is [Formula: see text], the elliptic points are related to the isolated vertices of the quotient graph [Formula: see text] of the Bruhat–Tits tree. We construct an infinite group of automorphisms of [Formula: see text] which fully permutes the isolated vertices with cyclic stabilizer.