| Résume | A σ-variety over a difference field (K,σ) is a pair (X,φ) consisting of an algebraic variety X over K and φ:X → X^σ is a regular map from X to its transform Xσ under σ. A subvariety Y ⊆ X is skew-invariant if φ(Y) ⊆ Y^σ. In earlier work with Alice Medvedev we gave a procedure to describe skew-invariant varieties of σ-varieties of the form (𝔸^n,φ) where φ(x_1,...,x_n) = (P_1(x_1),...,P_n(x_n)). The most important case, from which the others may be deduced, is that of n = 2. In the present work we give a sharper description of the skew-invariant curves in the case where P_2 = P_1^τ for some other automorphism of K which commutes with σ. Specifically, if P in K[x] is a polynomial of degree greater than one which is not eventually skew-conjugate to a monomial or ± Chebyshev (i.e. P is “nonexceptional”) then skew-invariant curves in (𝔸^2,(P,P^τ)) are horizontal, vertical, or skew-twists: described by equations of the form y = α^{σ^n} ∘ P^{σ^{n-1}} ∘ ⋅⋅⋅ ∘ P^σ ∘ P(x) or x = β^{σ{-1}}∘ P^{τ σ^{-n-2}}∘ P^{τ σ^{-n-3}}∘ ⋅⋅⋅ ∘ P^τ(y) where P = α ∘ β and P^τ = α^{σ^{n+1}}∘ β^{σ^n}} for some integer n. |
