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Let $G$ be the Galois group of a polynomial of the irreducible quartic. Irreducibility makes $G$ a transitive subgroup of $S_4$. The three roots of the given cubic resolvent of a quartic correspond to the three partitions of the four quartic roots into two unordered pairs, and the kernel of the $S_4$-action on these partitions is the Klein four-group $V_4$. If the resolvent has Galois group $S_3$, the image of $G$ in this action is all of $S_3$. Among the transitive subgroups of the symmetric group on four points, only $S_4$ has this image. Hence

Now put $f_p(t)=t^4+pt+p$. The Eisenstein criterion at $p$ proves that $f_p$ is an irreducible polynomial, and its cubic resolvent isIts discriminant of a depressed cubic isFor odd $p$, the $p$-adic valuation of ${\Delta }_p$ is three because $p\nmid 256$; for $p=2$, ${\Delta }_2=2^4\cdot 101$. Thus ${\Delta }_p$ is never a square in $\mathbb{Q}$.

By the rational root theorem, a reducible $g_p$ has an integer root among $\pm 1,\pm p,\pm p^2$. Reduction modulo $p$ shows that the root is divisible by $p$; writing it as $pk$, with $k\in \{\pm 1,\pm p\}$, givesThe only possibilities are $k=-1,p=3$ and $k=1,p=5$, corresponding to roots $-3$ and $5$. For every other prime, $g_p$ is irreducible with nonsquare discriminant, so its Galois group is $S_3$ and the criterion above gives the quartic group $S_4$. For $p=3$ or $5$, the reducible resolvent makes the quartic group a proper subgroup. Therefore

The existence and uniqueness of splitting fields says that any two splitting fields of a polynomial $f\in F[X]$ are isomorphic by an isomorphism fixing $F$ pointwise. Inside a chosen algebraic closure, the subfield generated by all roots is unique.

For a polynomial $f\in \mathbb{Q}[X]$ with distinct roots, let $K$ be its splitting field. Its Galois group of a polynomial isthe group of field automorphisms of $K$ fixing $\mathbb{Q}$. It acts faithfully on the roots.

If $f$ is irreducible and $\alpha ,\beta$ are roots, the embedding $\mathbb{Q}(\alpha )\to K$ taking $\alpha$ to $\beta$ extends, because $K/\mathbb{Q}$ is normal and separable, to an element of the Galois group. Thus the action is transitive. Conversely, the roots belonging to one orbit have a product polynomial invariant under the whole Galois group, hence lying in $\mathbb{Q}[X]$. If there were more than one orbit, these orbit polynomials would give a nontrivial factorization of $f$. Therefore

Now let $g(X)=X^4+b{X}^2+c$ and let $\alpha$ be one root. The two roots of $Y^2+bY+c$ are ${\alpha }^2$ and $c/{\alpha }^2$. On choosing $\delta =\sqrt{c}$, the roots of $g$ areConsequently its splitting field is

Let $x_1,\dots ,x_5$ be algebraically independent indeterminates and set $a_i=e_i(x_1,\dots ,x_5)$, the elementary symmetric polynomials. ThenThe Fundamental theorem of symmetric polynomials identifies the fixed field of the natural $S_5$ action on $\mathbb{Q}(x_1,\dots ,x_5)$ with $\mathbb{Q}(a_1,\dots ,a_5)=K$. Every permutation of the roots therefore gives a $K$-automorphism, and the Galois group of a polynomial isA characteristic-zero polynomial is solvable by radicals exactly when its Galois group is a solvable group. Part (c) shows that $S_5$ is not solvable, so

Assume now that $g$ is irreducible and separable. Its splitting field $L/K$ is Galois, and its Galois group acts transitively on the roots $y_i$ by the Galois group of a polynomial. Part (c) extends every such automorphism uniquely to $M$. If $x_i^p=y_i$, the extension sends $x_i$ to the unique $p$th root above the image of $y_i$. The transitivity lifted through unique pth roots therefore shows thatacts transitively on the roots of $f$.

Every automorphism of $M/K$ preserves $L$, because $L$ is the splitting field of $g$ over $K$. Transitivity therefore implies that either all roots $x_i$ lie in $L$ or none does. Since $x_i^p\in L$, the minimal polynomial of a purely inseparable element has degree either one or $p$. Consequently,

Let $h\in K[T]$ be a monic irreducible factor of $f$. If $h$ is inseparable, part (a) givesfor a nonconstant monic $q\in K[T]$. Since $q(T^p)$ divides $g(T^p)$, polynomial division in $K[U]$ and substitution $U=T^p$ show that $q$ divides $g$. Irreducibility of $g$ forces $q=g$, hence $h=f$. Thereforewhich is the irreducible factors after Frobenius substitution dichotomy.

If every coefficient of $g$ is a $p$th power, saythenso $f$ is reducible.

Conversely, suppose $f$ is reducible and factor it into distinct monic irreducibles:Every $h_i$ is then a proper factor, hence separable by the preceding dichotomy. Since $f^{\prime }=0$, unique factorization and $h_i^{\prime }\ne 0$ force $p\mid e_i$ for every $i$. Thus $f=q^p$ for some monic $q\in K[T]$. The Frobenius endomorphism raises coefficients to their $p$th powers, and the coefficient of $T^{ip}$ in $f=g(T^p)$ is the coefficient of $T^i$ in $g$. Hence every coefficient of $g$ is a $p$th power in $K$. We have proved the reducibility criterion after Frobenius substitution:

If a monic polynomial $f$ has roots ${\alpha }_1,\dots ,{\alpha }_n$ in a splitting field, its polynomial discriminant isIt is a symmetric polynomial in the roots, so it belongs to the base field; it is nonzero exactly when $f$ is a separable polynomial.

Putthe Vandermonde determinant. A root permutation $\sigma$ sends $D$ to $\mathrm{sgn}(\sigma )D$. Hence the Galois group of a polynomial is contained in the alternating group $A_n$ exactly when every Galois automorphism fixes $D$, which by the fixed-field property is equivalent to $D\in K$. This implies that $\mathrm{disc}(f)=D^2$ is a square in $K$. Conversely, if $\mathrm{disc}(f)=d^2$ for $d\in K$, then $D^2=d^2$, so $D=\pm d\in K$. The Galois group therefore fixes $D$ and consists of even permutations. This proves the discriminant criterion for an alternating Galois group.

Now letThe rational root theorem shows that none of $\pm 1,\pm 2$ is a root, so this cubic is irreducible over $\mathbb{Q}$. The discriminant of a depressed cubic isThis is not a square in $\mathbb{Q}$, so the Galois group of an irreducible cubic is $S_3$ over $\mathbb{Q}$.

Over $K=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-19})$, the discriminant is the squareThe cubic remains irreducible: a root in the degree-two extension $K/\mathbb{Q}$ would generate over $\mathbb{Q}$ both a degree-three field, by irreducibility, and a subfield of a degree-two field, contradicting the tower law for field extensions. Its Galois group over $K$ is consequently $A_3\cong C_3$.

If an irreducible quartic over a field of characteristic zero has a cubic resolvent of a quartic whose Galois group of a polynomial is $S_3$, then the quartic has Galois group $S_4$. Irreducibility places the quartic group among the transitive subgroups of the symmetric group on four points, while the action on its three root pairings is surjective onto $S_3$. Of the possibilities $C_4,V_4,D_8,A_4,S_4$, only $S_4$ has this image.