A Formalization of Divided Powers in Lean

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Main Authors: Chambert-Loir, Antoine, de Frutos-Fernández, María Inés
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Chambert-Loir, Antoine
de Frutos-Fernández, María Inés
author_facet Chambert-Loir, Antoine
de Frutos-Fernández, María Inés
contents Given an ideal $I$ in a commutative ring $A$, a divided power structure on $I$ is a collection of maps $\{γ_n \colon I \to A\}_{n \in \mathbb{N}}$, subject to axioms that imply that it behaves like the family $\{x \mapsto \frac{x^n}{n!}\}_{n \in \mathbb{N}}$, but which can be defined even when division by factorials is not possible in $A$. Divided power structures have important applications in diverse areas of mathematics, including algebraic topology, number theory and algebraic geometry. In this article we describe a formalization in Lean 4 of the basic theory of divided power structures, including divided power morphisms and sub-divided power ideals, and we provide several fundamental constructions, in particular quotients and sums. This constitutes the first formalization of this theory in any theorem prover. As a prerequisite of general interest, we expand the formalized theory of multivariate power series rings, endowing them with a topology and defining evaluation and substitution of power series.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_05327
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Formalization of Divided Powers in Lean
Chambert-Loir, Antoine
de Frutos-Fernández, María Inés
Logic in Computer Science
Commutative Algebra
14F30 (Primary) 13J05 (Secondary)
Given an ideal $I$ in a commutative ring $A$, a divided power structure on $I$ is a collection of maps $\{γ_n \colon I \to A\}_{n \in \mathbb{N}}$, subject to axioms that imply that it behaves like the family $\{x \mapsto \frac{x^n}{n!}\}_{n \in \mathbb{N}}$, but which can be defined even when division by factorials is not possible in $A$. Divided power structures have important applications in diverse areas of mathematics, including algebraic topology, number theory and algebraic geometry. In this article we describe a formalization in Lean 4 of the basic theory of divided power structures, including divided power morphisms and sub-divided power ideals, and we provide several fundamental constructions, in particular quotients and sums. This constitutes the first formalization of this theory in any theorem prover. As a prerequisite of general interest, we expand the formalized theory of multivariate power series rings, endowing them with a topology and defining evaluation and substitution of power series.
title A Formalization of Divided Powers in Lean
topic Logic in Computer Science
Commutative Algebra
14F30 (Primary) 13J05 (Secondary)
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.05327