Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2006/iii/paper-27/4/ii/solution

Krasner's lemma states: let be complete for a Non-Archimedean absolute value, let be a separable algebraic element over , and let be algebraic over , all in a fixed algebraic closure with the extended field absolute value. If
then . If , the conclusion is automatic and there is no conjugate-distance condition to check.
To prove it, put and take a finite splitting field for the minimal polynomial of over . That is a separable polynomial, so is Galois. The finite extension is complete, and uniqueness of extensions of an field absolute value from a complete non-Archimedean field makes every an isometry. It fixes , so
If , it is another -conjugate and this inequality contradicts the strict hypothesis. Every such automorphism therefore fixes . The Fundamental theorem of Galois theory gives , proving
Only needs to be a separable algebraic element: the proof works even when is inseparable, because the splitting field is taken over .

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