 Solution

Let $\pi$ be a prime element of the Gaussian integers. Its norm $\pi \overline{\pi }$ is a positive integer greater than one, so $\pi$ divides some ordinary positive prime number in its integer prime factorization. It cannot divide two distinct such primes $p,q$: an integer Bézout identity $up+vq=1$ would imply $\pi \mid 1$, contrary to its being a nonunit. This proves existence and uniqueness of the rational prime lying below $\pi$.

Up to associates, the complete list of Gaussian prime elements is: $1+i$; the positive rational primes $p\equiv 3(\mathrm{mod}4)$; and, for every rational prime $p\equiv 1(\mathrm{mod}4)$, the two nonassociate elements $a+bi$ and $a-bi$, where $a,b>0$ and $p=a^2+b^2$. Representatives related by multiplication by one of $\pm 1,\pm i$ are associates. The last pair accounts for both factors of a split prime.

Every residue class modulo $p$ has a unique representative $a+bi$ with $0\le a,b<p$, since $p\mid (a-a^{\prime })+(b-b^{\prime })i$ means both coordinate differences are divisible by $p$. Hence $\boxed{|R/pR|=p^2}$ andFor $p=2$, the class of $1+i$ is nonzero but its square is $2i=0$; thus the quotient ring is not a field. For $p\equiv 3(\mathrm{mod}4)$, a root $r^2=-1$ would imply $r^{p-1}=(-1{)}^{(p-1)/2}=-1$, contradicting Fermat's little theorem. The quadratic $X^2+1$ is therefore irreducible and its quotient is a field with $p^2$ elements.

For $p\equiv 1(\mathrm{mod}4)$, choose a generator $g$ of the cyclic group ${\mathbb{F}}_p^{\times }$. Then $r=g^{(p-1)/4}$ satisfies $r^2=-1$. The two nonzero classes $i-r$ and $i+r$ have product zero in $R/pR$. ThusFor $p\equiv 1(\mathrm{mod}4)$ it is instead isomorphic to ${\mathbb{F}}_p\times {\mathbb{F}}_p$, by the distinct linear factors and the Chinese remainder theorem.