Uniform definability of henselian valuation rings in the Macintyre language

Abstract

We discuss definability of henselian valuation rings in the Macintyre language $\mathcal{L}_{\rm Mac}$, the language of rings expanded by n-th power predicates. In particular, we show that henselian valuation rings with finite or Hilbertian residue field are uniformly $\exists$-$\emptyset$-definable in $\mathcal{L}_{\rm Mac}$, and henselian valuation rings with value group $\mathbb{Z}$ are uniformly $\exists\forall$-$\emptyset$-definable in the ring language, but not uniformly $\exists$-$\emptyset$-definable in $\mathcal{L}_{\rm Mac}$. We apply these results to local fields $\mathbb{Q}_p$ and $\mathbb{F}_p((t))$, as well as to higher dimensional local fields.