Free noncommutative principal divisors and commutativity of the tracial fundamental group

Abstract: We define the principal divisor of a free noncommuatative function. We use these divisors to compare the determinantal singularity sets of free noncommutative functions. We show that the divisor of a noncommutative rational function is the difference of two polynomial divisors. We formulate a nontrivial theory of cohomology, fundamental groups and covering spaces for tracial free functions. We show that the natural fundamental group arising from analytic continuation for tracial free functions is a direct sum of copies of $\mathbb{Q}$. Our results contrast the classical case, where the analogous groups may not be abelian, and the free case, where free universal monodromy implies such notions would be trivial.