Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 27 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let . The Coleman interpolation theorem for cyclotomic local units gives a unique unit series withSince the entries are principal units, . The existence statement can be seen from the norm operator as follows. Choose integral unit polynomials interpolating , possible because . The congruence and Coleman norm contraction imply that differs from by a factor in for each fixed . The second series evaluates at to by repeated finite-level norms. Compactness in the -adic topology gives a subsequential limit interpolating all the entries. A nonzero difference between two interpolating integral series would have infinitely many zeros in the open unit disk, contradicting the Weierstrass preparation theorem. Applying the norm identity at all levels then proves norm fixation.
Set . For , define the cyclotomic higher logarithmic derivative byThe quotient belongs to , and preserves that ring, so this indeed takes values in . Equivalently it is at zero, where the formal logarithm may be normalized by replacing by . There is no factorial division in this definition. Uniqueness of the Coleman power series gives , so .
Let be the cyclotomic character, with . If , interpolation and uniqueness giveThe binomial series is integral for , and for any formal series the chain rule givesIteration, followed by evaluation at zero, therefore provesThus these additive Coates–Wiles homomorphisms have cyclotomic weight .