Variation of canonical height for\break Fatou points on ℙ1

Abstract Let f : ℙ 1 → ℙ 1 {f:\mathbb{P}^{1}\to\mathbb{P}^{1}} be a map of degree > 1 {>1} defined over a function field k = K ⁢ ( X ) {k=K(X)} , where K is a number field and X is a projective curve over K. For each point a ∈ ℙ 1 ⁢ ( k ) {a\in\mathbb{P}^{1}(k)} satisfying a dynamical stability condition, we prove that the Call–Silverman canonical height for specialization f t {f_{t}} at point a t {a_{t}} , for t ∈ X ⁢ ( ℚ ¯ ) {t\in X(\overline{\mathbb{Q}})} outside a finite set, induces a Weil height on the curve X; i.e., we prove the existence of a ℚ {\mathbb{Q}} -divisor D = D f , a {D=D_{f,a}} on X so that the function t ↦ h ^ f t ⁢ ( a t ) - h D ⁢ ( t ) {t\mapsto\hat{h}_{f_{t}}(a_{t})-h_{D}(t)} is bounded on X ⁢ ( ℚ ¯ ) {X(\overline{\mathbb{Q}})} for any choice of Weil height associated to D. We also prove a local version, that the local canonical heights t ↦ λ ^ f t , v ⁢ ( a t ) {t\mapsto\hat{\lambda}_{f_{t},v}(a_{t})} differ from a Weil function for D by a continuous function on X ⁢ ( ℂ v ) {X(\mathbb{C}_{v})} , at each place v of the number field K. These results were known for polynomial maps f and all points a ∈ ℙ 1 ⁢ ( k ) {a\in\mathbb{P}^{1}(k)} without the stability hypothesis, [21, 14], and for maps f that are quotients of endomorphisms of elliptic curves E over k and all points a ∈ ℙ 1 ⁢ ( k ) {a\in\mathbb{P}^{1}(k)} . [32, 29]. Finally, we characterize our stability condition in terms of the geometry of the induced map f ~ : X × ℙ 1 ⇢ X × ℙ 1 {\tilde{f}:X\times\mathbb{P}^{1}\dashrightarrow X\times\mathbb{P}^{1}} over K; and we prove the existence of relative Néron models for the pair ( f , a ) {(f,a)} , when a is a Fatou point at a place γ of k, where the local canonical height λ ^ f , γ ⁢ ( a ) {\hat{\lambda}_{f,\gamma}(a)} can be computed as an intersection number.