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Write $n=[L:K]$. The field trace gives a nondegenerate $K$-bilinear trace pairingThe inverse different, or codifferent, is the trace-dual latticeIt contains $S$, because the trace of an element integral over $R$ belongs to the integrally closed ring $R$. It is stable under multiplication by $S$: if $s,t\in S$ and $x\in {\mathfrak{D}}_{S/R}^{-1}$, then $\mathrm{Tr}(sxt)=\mathrm{Tr}(x(st))\in R$. Nondegeneracy of the trace pairing and finite generation of $S$ show that this trace dual is a finitely generated $R$-module spanning $L$. Therefore it is a fractional ideal of $S$.

Its inverseis the different ideal. Since $S\subseteq {\mathfrak{D}}_{S/R}^{-1}$, every such $x$ lies in $S$; hence ${\mathfrak{D}}_{S/R}$ is an integral ideal of $S$.

The discriminant ideal $\mathrm{disc}(S/R)$ is locally generated bywhere ${\alpha }_1,\dots ,{\alpha }_n$ is a local $R$-basis of $S$. Equivalently, it is the image of the determinant of the trace pairingThis formulation makes the definition independent of a basis, since changing a basis multiplies its discriminant by the square of the determinant of the change-of-basis matrix.

The asserted identity of ideals can be checked after localization at every nonzero prime ideal of $R$. We may therefore assume that $R$ is a discrete valuation ring and choose a basis ${\alpha }_1,\dots ,{\alpha }_n$ of $S$. Let ${\beta }_1,\dots ,{\beta }_n$ be its trace-dual basis, so $\mathrm{Tr}({\alpha }_i{\beta }_j)={\delta }_{ij}$; this is a basis of ${\mathfrak{D}}_{S/R}^{-1}$. If $T=(\mathrm{Tr}({\alpha }_i{\alpha }_j))$, thenThus the determinant measuring the inclusion $S\subseteq {\mathfrak{D}}_{S/R}^{-1}$ is $\det T$. The determinant description of the norm of a fractional ideal consequently givesLocalization then proves the equality over the original Dedekind domain.

Finally, the determinant-of-pairing map identifies the invertible $R$-module $({\det }_{R}S{)}^{\otimes 2}$ with the discriminant ideal. Hence in the ideal class groupup to the harmless inverse caused by the convention used to identify invertible modules with fractional ideals. In either convention the class is a square.

The trace form of a number field isIt is bilinear because the field trace is linear. If $x\ne 0$, choose $y=x^{-1}$. ThenThus no nonzero $x$ lies in the radical, and $B$ is a nondegenerate bilinear form. This is the nondegeneracy of the trace form of a number field.

For the $n$ distinct complex embeddings ${\sigma }_1,\dots ,{\sigma }_n$ of the number field, define the discriminant of elements of a number field byThe equality follows by multiplying the transpose of the embedding matrix by itself. Each field trace is rational: it is also the trace of the rational matrix of multiplication by $w_i{w}_j$ on $K$. Thus the determinant lies in $\mathbb{Q}$. If the $w_i$ are algebraic integers, the products and their conjugates are algebraic integers, and so are their sums. A rational algebraic integer is an integer, hence all trace entries and their determinant are integers.

Write $u_j={\sum }_i{a}_{ij}{v}_i$. The inclusion of the generated abelian groups makes $A=(a_{ij})$ an integer matrix. Its embedding matrix is the embedding matrix of the $v_i$ multiplied by $A$. Taking squared determinants givesFor independent algebraic integers $v_i$, choose an integral basis ${\omega }_i$ of ${\mathcal{O}}_K$. The same formula gives $D(v)=[{\mathcal{O}}_K:{\sum }_i\mathbb{Z}{v}_i{]}^{2}D(\omega )$. If $D(v)$ is nonzero and a square-free integer, the integer index must be one, proving that the $v_i$ form an integral basis.

Now put $\beta =3\alpha +4$. Since $\mathbb{Q}(\beta )=\mathbb{Q}(\alpha )$ has degree three, the monic polynomialis its minimal polynomial of an algebraic element. The field norm is the negative of its constant term:For the discriminant calculation, $f^{\prime }(\alpha )=3{\alpha }^2+4\alpha$. In the basis $1,\alpha ,{\alpha }^2$, using ${\alpha }^3=-2{\alpha }^2-1$, multiplication by this element has matrixThus the given derivative-norm formula gives $D(1,\alpha ,{\alpha }^2)=-59$. Since $\alpha$ satisfies a monic polynomial with integer coefficients, $1,\alpha ,{\alpha }^2$ are algebraic integers; the fact that a squarefree discriminant certifies an integral basis proves

For ${\mathbb{F}}_{q^2}/{\mathbb{F}}_q$, the field norm maps the nonzero elements onto ${\mathbb{F}}_q^{\ast }$: the multiplicative group of a finite field is cyclic, and the power $q+1$ has image of order $q-1$. The field trace is also onto. Indeed it is an ${\mathbb{F}}_q$-linear map into ${\mathbb{F}}_q$, and is not zero because its polynomial $X+X^q$ has degree $q$ and cannot vanish at all $q^2$ field elements. Consequently $a\mapsto \mathrm{Tr}(ac)$ is onto whenever $c\ne 0$.

For a finite unramified extension of non-Archimedean local fields, the field norm on residue units is surjective: on a cyclic group of order $q^n-1$ it is exponentiation by $(q^n-1)/(q-1)$ and has image of order $q-1$. For a common uniformizer $\pi$ and $r\ge 1$, expansion of the conjugate product givesThe field trace of a finite finite field extension is onto: its polynomial $X+X^q+\cdots +X^{q^{n-1}}$ is nonzero of degree below $q^n$, so defines a nonzero linear map to the base field. Lift a residue norm and correct successively with elements of $1+{\pi }^r{\mathcal{O}}_L$. The infinite product converges by completeness, and its norm is the prescribed unit. This argument also works in positive characteristic and when $p$ divides $n$.

For a finite generically separable morphism between smooth projective curves, the field trace on rational differentials identifies the differential sheaf with the trace-dual module. Locally, for $A=k[[s]]\subset B=k[[u]]$ with $s=f(u)$, the trace-dual fractional ideal is $f^{\prime }(u{)}^{-1}B$. Multiplying it by $ds=f^{\prime }(u)du$ gives $Bdu$. For a monogenic finite extension with monic polynomial $P$, the identity $\mathrm{Tr}(g(u)/P^{\prime }(u))=[T^{e-1}](g(T)\mathrm{mod}P(T))$ proves the dual-module formula: the top-coefficient pairing on the basis $1,u,\dots ,u^{e-1}$ has invertible antitriangular matrix. Tensoring locally with an invertible sheaf yields ${\pi }_{\ast }({\mathcal{M}}^{\vee }\otimes {\Omega }_C^1)\cong \mathcal{H}om({\pi }_{\ast }\mathcal{M},{\Omega }_D^1)$.

The trace form of a number field $K$ is the symmetric bilinear form

The pairing uses the field trace of the product, rather than taking a trace of each factor separately.

For a normal domain $A$ with fraction field $K$, the field trace of an integral element in a finite separable field extension $L/K$ belongs to $A$. Its conjugates are integral, so their sum is integral; it lies in $K$ and hence in $A$ by normality. This places the integral closure inside a trace-dual lattice.