Fix a number field , a positive integer , and a finite set of its finite places. There are finitely many field extensions of degree at most unramified outside , inside a fixed algebraic closure. To see this, view them as extensions of the rational numbers of bounded degree. Their ramified rational primes belong to a fixed finite set. At each of these primes, the different exponent is bounded in terms of the local degree and ramification index, giving a bound for the absolute field discriminant. The Hermite–Minkowski theorem gives finitely many fields up to isomorphism, and each has only finitely many embeddings into the fixed closure. This useful form of arithmetic compactness is stated and proved for in Andrew Sutherland's number-theory notes, Theorem 14.25; the preceding reduction gives the general case.
Let be the Minkowski embedding of a number field applied to a nonzero fractional ideal. Under the metric , its covolume is . For ordinary coordinate Lebesgue measure , its covolume is instead . Here is the field discriminant, and the absolute norm of a fractional ideal is positive and multiplicative. The formula follows by taking the embedding determinant of an integral basis, then using the index of an integral ideal and scaling to handle a fractional ideal.
A ramified prime makes the finite algebra have a nonzero nilpotent element. Multiplication by its product with any other element is nilpotent and has trace zero, so the reduced trace pairing is degenerate. Therefore the field discriminant is divisible by . This proves finiteness of the ramified rational primes without requiring explicit prime factorization in the field.
Fundamental discriminant 2026-09-28
A fundamental discriminant is an integer that occurs as the field discriminant of a quadratic number field. For square-free , it is when and otherwise.
If is a square-free integer, , and , then is an integral basis of the pure cubic number field, with field discriminant . The discriminant-index formula for an integral lattice restricts a possible index to primes dividing . At primes dividing the different exponent is by tame ramification. A shifted Eisenstein polynomial gives total wild ramification at , so its different exponent is at least . These exponents exhaust the polynomial discriminant and force index one.
The polynomial is an Eisenstein polynomial at , so it is irreducible and . Its polynomial discriminant is
One must remove the index at before using this as the field discriminant. Put . Direct reduction using gives
Thus is a ring finite over , so its elements are integral. Its basis has discriminant of elements of a number field . The discriminant-index formula for an integral lattice says , so only could divide the remaining index.
We use these standard different ideal facts: the norm of the different is the absolute field discriminant; its localization is the local different; an unramified prime has different exponent zero, and a tamely ramified prime of ramification index has different exponent . The Eisenstein polynomial at gives total ramification of degree three, which is tame because . Its contribution to is therefore two. This excludes a further index factor , proving and .
Since the index is prime to and , Dedekind factorization theorem applies at both primes. Modulo , , giving a single prime with residue degree one and ramification index three. Modulo ,
Thus has residue degree one and ramification index two; the other prime over is unramified. Both ramified primes are tame. No other prime ramifies because none divides . Consequently