Altered local uniformization of Berkovich spaces

Abstract

We prove that for any compact quasi-smooth strictly $k$-analytic space $X$ there exist a finite extension $l/k$ and a quasi-\'etale covering $X'\to X\otimes_kl$ such that $X'$ possesses a strictly semistable formal model. This extends a theorem of U. Hartl to the case of the ground field with a non-discrete valuation.