For a number field , its ordinary Hilbert class field is the maximal finite abelian extension unramified at every finite prime and with every real place splitting completely. The Artin reciprocity map induces
The image of an unramified prime ideal is its Frobenius automorphism. Thus a prime splits completely in precisely when its ideal class is trivial. This field packages ideal-class obstructions into splitting behavior. Ideals become principal in by the principal ideal theorem. Specifying the real-place convention matters for real fields: omitting it leads instead to the narrow class-field problem. Both illustrative fields below are imaginary quadratic, so there are no real places to discuss.
First consider , whose quadratic discriminant is . The correspondence between ideal classes and reduced primitive positive definite binary quadratic forms lets us compute its class number without guessing a class field. A reduced form obeys , , and ; a boundary case uses . For the only class is ; for the two possibilities are and . Hence and its ideal class group is cyclic of order three.
Take . Its only possible rational roots are , neither a root, so it is irreducible. Its polynomial discriminant is , which is nonsquare. Thus its splitting field has Galois group and the quadratic fixed field of is , generated by the square root of its discriminant. Therefore is cyclic of degree three and for a root of .
At a prime other than , the separable residue polynomial splits over a finite residue-field extension; Hensel's lemma puts all its roots in an unramified local extension. At there is the exact factorization
The simple factor lifts by Hensel's lemma. The remaining quadratic factor has discriminant valuation one, because the cubic discriminant is and the resultant with the simple factor is a unit. Its local splitting field is ramified quadratic, with inertia group of order two. Its intersection with is trivial, so the relative extension is unramified at as well. There are no real places. An unramified abelian extension of degree must be all of , giving
This is the Hilbert class field of Q of square root minus twenty-three.
The other alternative, , has quadratic discriminant . Reduced forms have and even . Testing , , and gives exactly
Thus . Each class is its own inverse, because replacing by leaves these representatives unchanged; consequently the ideal class group is .
Set . The square classes are independent, so . Their product gives , and is abelian of degree four. Its seven quadratic subfields have discriminants
For a multiquadratic abelian extension, the conductor-discriminant formula takes the product of these quadratic character conductors, namely the absolute quadratic discriminants. Hence . The relative discriminant tower formula gives
The integral relative discriminant ideal therefore has norm one and is the unit ideal. Thus is everywhere unramified, and its degree equals the class number. This proves the other explicit answer:
It agrees with the Hilbert class field of Q of square root minus thirty. Both alternatives have been computed independently from their class numbers and ramification.