Mathematics / Mathematik / Matemática

Mathematics / Mathematik / Matemática

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  • Daniel C. Mayer
    Daniel C. Mayer
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    p-class ranks
    The aim of this contribution is to provide a
    summary of the development of a problem
    concerning the p-rank of certain number fields.

    In his paper [1], p.315, Th.3.4,
    Frank Gerth III has given a proof
    for the following fact.

    THEOREM 1.
    Let N be an unramified cyclic cubic extension
    of a quadratic number field K
    and denote by L one of the three conjugate
    absolutely cubic subfields of N.
    Then the 3-class ranks r_3(K) and r_3(L) of K and L
    are connected by the relation
    r_3(L) = r_3(K)-1.

    [1]
    F. Gerth III,
    Ranks of 3-class groups of non-Galois cubic fields,
    Acta Arith. 30 (1976), 307--322.

    On May 30, 2010, I posed the following problem:
    I am not sure if either Gerth himself
    or George Gras or Thomas Callahan
    or somebody else has proved the following higher analog.

    CONJECTURE.
    Let p denote an odd prime,
    let N be an unramified cyclic extension of relative degree p
    of a quadratic number field K,
    and denote by L one of the p conjugate subfields of N
    of absolute degree p (over the rationals Q).
    Then the p-class ranks r_p(K) and r_p(L) of K and L
    are connected by the relation
    r_p(L) = r_p(K)-1.

    Meanwhile (on December 22, 2010)
    I have found the solution of my posed problem myself.

    R. Bölling has proved the following higher analog,
    showing that the EQUATION in my conjecture may be false for p>=5.
    The higher analog consists of two INEQUALITIES,
    and has only been proved for COMPLEX quadratic fields.

    THEOREM 2.
    Let p denote an odd prime,
    let N be an unramified cyclic extension of relative degree p
    of a COMPLEX quadratic number field K,
    and denote by L one of the p conjugate subfields of N
    of absolute degree p (over the rationals Q).
    Then the p-class ranks r_p(K) and r_p(L) of K and L
    are connected by the relations
    r_p(K)-1 <= r_p(L) <= (r_p(K)-1) * (p-1)/2.

    [2]
    R. Bölling,
    On ranks of class groups of fields in dihedral extensions over Q
    with special reference to cubic fields,
    Math. Nachr. 135 (1988), 275--310.