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ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/iii/paper-123/2/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 123 2 a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Normalize the discrete valuation on by , set , and write for its valuation ring. For a finite Galois extension of local fields, define and, for integers ,Equivalently, is the kernel of the action on . These are the lower ramification numbering of the ramification groups. In particular, is the inertia group, the kernel of the action on the residue field, and is the wild inertia group. They form a decreasing sequence of normal subgroups, eventually trivial.
For a real index , extend by . Define the Herbrand function byIt is continuous, strictly increasing and piecewise linear; denote its inverse by . The upper ramification numbering isThe definition includes the placement of the groups at break endpoints: the group at a break is the group before the drop. Lower numbering is compatible with subgroups; upper numbering is the one compatible with quotients. In a totally ramified extension, the uniformizer criterion for lower ramification groups permits testing the defining valuation inequality on one uniformizer instead of on every integral element.
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