Sparsity of stable primes for dynamical sequences

Abstract

We show that a dynamical sequence $(f_n{)}_{n\in \mathbb{N}}$ of polynomials over a number field whose set of stable primes is of positive density must necessarily have a very restricted, and in particular ``near-solvable" dynamical Galois group. Together with existing heuristics, our results suggest moreover that a polynomial $f$ all of whose iterates are irreducible modulo a positive density subset of the primes must necessarily be a composition of linear functions, monomials and Dickson polynomials.

To appear in Bull. London Math. Soc