[Math] Example of a complete, non-archimedean ordered field

field-theoryreal-analysis

I'm looking for a concrete example of a complete (in the sense that all Cauchy sequences converge) but non-archimedean ordered field, to see that these two properties are independent (an example of archimedean non-complete ordered field is obviously the rationals).

Thank you in advance.

Best Answer

Consider the ring of formal Laurent series $R((x))$ with the ordering where $x$ is a positive infinitesimal.

That is, a rational function is positive if and only if its Laurent series has a positive leading coefficient.

What ($\omega$-indexed) sequences converge to zero?

Well, for some $n$, we must have $s_m < x^2$ for all $m > n$. In particular, this means the leading term cannot be of the form $a x^j$ with $j < 2$, because such a thing would be greater than $x^2$. So for all $m > n$, the coefficient on $x_j$ is $0$ for all $j < 0$.

A similar argument can be used in each degree; so we have a simple characterization of sequences that converge to zero: they are the sequences bounded on the left for which the sequence of coefficients on each $x^i$ is eventually always zero. (Note that it's not enough for the coefficients to simply converge to zero!)

The bounded criterion rules out things like the sequence

$$ 1, x^{-1}, x^{-2}, x^{-3}, \cdots $$

which diverges to $+\infty$.

Correspondingly, there is a simple condition for Cauchy sequences: they are precisely the sequences which are bounded on the left and for which each the sequence of coefficients on each $x^i$ is eventually constant.

Therefore, $R((x))$ is Cauchy complete (in the sense that every Cauchy sequence converges), and it is non-Archimedean because it has positive infinite numbers, such as $x^{-1}$.