Hahn analytification and connectivity of higher rank tropical varieties

Abstract: We show that the tropicalization of a connected variety over a higher rank valued field is a path connected topological space. This establishes an affirmative answer to a question posed by Banerjee. Higher rank tropical varieties are studied as the images of "Hahn analytifications", introduced in this paper. A Hahn analytification is a space of valuations on a scheme over a higher rank valued field. We prove that the Hahn analytification is related to higher rank tropicalization by means of an inverse limit theorem, extending well-known results in the non-Archimedean case. We also establish comparison results between the Hahn analytification and the Huber and Berkovich analytifications, as well as the Hrushovski-Loeser stable completion.