On sigma-delta-Picard-Vessiot extensions

Abstract

We study the differential Galois theory of difference equations under weaker hypothesis on the field of constants of the automorphism. This framework yields a new approach to results by C.Hardouin and M.Singer, which answers possitively a question by M.Singer: under the classical hypothesis, the known results are still valid. In particular, our Galois group is isomorphic to theirs over a suitable field. We also explicitly calculate the number of connected components of the Galois group.