Polynomial-Time Tractable Problems over the p-Adic Numbers

Abstract

We study the computational complexity of fundamental problems over the p-adic numbers {ℚ}_p and the p-adic integers {ℤ}_p. Guépin, Haase, and Worrell [Florent Guépin et al., 2019] proved that checking satisfiability of systems of linear equations combined with valuation constraints of the form v_p(x) = c for p ≥ 5 is NP-complete (both over {ℤ}_p and over {ℚ}_p), and left the cases p = 2 and p = 3 open. We solve their problem by showing that the problem is NP-complete for {ℤ}₃ and for {ℚ}₃, but that it is in P for {ℤ}₂ and for {ℚ}₂. We also present different polynomial-time algorithms for solvability of systems of linear equations in {ℚ}_p with either constraints of the form v_p(x) ≤ c or of the form v_p(x) ≥ c for c ∈ {ℤ}. Finally, we show how our algorithms can be used to decide in polynomial time the satisfiability of systems of (strict and non-strict) linear inequalities over {ℚ} together with valuation constraints v_p(x) ≥ c for several different prime numbers p simultaneously.