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A useful strong form of the Hensel lemma is the following. Let $F$ be a complete discretely valued field, with valuation ring $\mathcal{O}$, normalized valuation $v$, and $P\in \mathcal{O}[T]$. If $a_0\in \mathcal{O}$ satisfiesthen there is a unique root $a\in \mathcal{O}$ in the ball $v(a-a_0)>v(P^{\prime }(a_0))$. When $P(a_0)=0$ the assertion is immediate; otherwise the condition includes $P^{\prime }(a_0)\ne 0$.

Here is a proof by Newton iteration over a valued field. Write $c=v(P^{\prime }(a_0))$ and $t_0=v(P(a_0))>2c$, and setSuppose $v(P^{\prime }(a_j))=c$ and $t_j=v(P(a_j))>2c$. The correction has valuation $t_j-c>c\ge 0$, so $a_{j+1}\in \mathcal{O}$. Taylor expansion over $\mathcal{O}$ cancels the linear term and givesThus the derivative still has valuation $c$, and $t_{j+1}-2c\ge 2(t_j-2c)$. Unless an exact root is reached earlier, the corrections tend to zero with exponentially increasing valuations. Completeness gives $a_j\to a$, and continuity gives $P(a)=0$ and $v(a-a_0)=t_0-c>c$. For uniqueness, if $a,b$ are in this ball, polynomial expansion around $a_0$ givesThe second factor has valuation exactly $c$ and is nonzero, so two roots in the ball must be equal. In particular, a simple residue root lifts uniquely: $v(P(a_0))\ge 1$ and $v(P^{\prime }(a_0))=0$ satisfy the hypothesis.

For the square-class group of a p-adic field, write every element as $p^{r}u$ with $u\in {\mathbb{Z}}_p^{\times }$. Multiplication by a square changes $r$ by an even integer, so valuation parity gives one independent factor $C_2$.

For odd $p$, a unit $u$ is a square if and only if its residue is a square in ${\mathbb{F}}_p^{\times }$. Necessity follows by reduction; sufficiency applies the simple-root Hensel lemma to $T^2-u$, whose derivative is a unit at a nonzero residue root. The cyclic group ${\mathbb{F}}_p^{\times }$ has square subgroup of index two. If $u_0$ is a unit with nonsquare residue, thenFor $p=2$, every odd square is one modulo eight. Conversely, if $u\equiv 1(\mathrm{mod}8)$, take $P(T)=T^2-u$ and $a_0=1$. Then $v_2(P(1))\ge 3>2v_2(P^{\prime }(1))=2$, so the strong Hensel lemma gives a square root. Thus unit square classes are exactly their residues $1,3,5,7$ modulo eight. The classes $-1$ and $5$ generate this group of order four independently, and valuation parity supplies the class $2$. Hence