Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-number-theory-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2011/a/2/b/solution
Past exam of the number theory course of the University of Oxford 2011 A 2 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
The Fundamental theorem of Galois theory says that for a finite Galois extension with group , the maps and are mutually inverse inclusion-reversing correspondences between subgroups and intermediate fields. They satisfy and . An intermediate extension is Galois exactly when its subgroup is normal, in which case its group is the quotient by that subgroup.
Let , , . The real field has degree : if with , squaring forces and either or , both impossible. Adjoining the nonreal doubles the degree. All three square-root signs can be changed independently, givingWrite for the automorphism sending to , where . Every nonzero vector generates an order-two subgroup, so there are such subgroups. Their fixed fields are:
| Generator | Fixed field |
|---|---|
Each listed field has degree and is fixed by the indicated sign change, which proves equality with the fixed field.
There are also order-four subgroups: they are the kernels of the seven nonzero linear functionals on . For , define . ThenThus the seven quadratic fields have radicands . Their square classes are distinct, so all are different. Finally the trivial subgroup fixes , and all of fixes . This accounts for every subgroup and intermediate field.
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