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This is a follow-up to question Locally toric resolutions of compactifications, answered by Jason Starr.

In a series of papers (see https://arxiv.org/abs/math/9904076), Jaroslaw Wlodarczyk proves the "weak factorization theorem". Namely, let $f$ be a birational morphism of proper smooth varieties over a field of characteristic $0$, $$f:X \dashrightarrow Y,$$ which is an isomorphism on some open $U\subset X$ (to $U\subset Y$). Then $f$ can be factored as a sequence of morphisms $f_i:X_i\dashrightarrow X_{i+1}$ (with $X_0 = X, \,\, X_N = Y$ for some $N$) which are blow-ups or blow-downs at a smooth point. Moreover, this is true over any perfect field with resolution of singularities.

I want a local analogue. Namely, assume we have resolution of singularities in characteristic $p$ (as recently announced by Hironaka). Let $f:X\dashrightarrow Y$ be a birational map of regular varieties which fiber (with proper, though possibly singular fibers) over $\operatorname{Spec}\mathbb{Z}_p$ and such that $f$ is an isomorphism at the generic fiber. Can $f$ be written as a sequence of blow-ups and blow-downs? If not, can we impose some conditions on $X, Y$ so that it can?

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  • $\begingroup$ "Namely, assume we have resolution of singularities in characteristic $p$ ..." We do have alterations. For your application, might alterations be sufficient? It is amazing how many proved theorems, at first blush, seem to require resolution, yet finally can be proved from alterations. Also, resolution in characteristic $p$ does not obviously imply regularization for finite type schemes over $\text{Spec}\ \mathbb{Z}_p.$ $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 12:05

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