For an algebraically closed field and a finitely generated field extension of transcendence degree one, choose with finite. The integral closures of the two standard coordinate rings of the projective line in are finite modules and glue to a finite normalization of an algebraic curve of the projective line. A one-dimensional normal local ring is a discrete valuation ring; over the perfect field the resulting projective curve is smooth. Extension of rational maps gives uniqueness of this smooth projective model.
Let be the integral closure of a Dedekind domain in a finite separable extension of degree . For a nonzero prime ideal of , write
and let . Then
Integral closure as an intersection of valuation rings Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-07
For a domain with fraction field , its integral closure is the intersection of all valuation rings of containing . Integral elements belong to every such ring because valuation rings are integrally closed. For a nonintegral , the ideal is proper, since its containing would give a monic equation for . Localize at a maximal ideal containing and apply the valuation domination lemma. The resulting ring contains but not , proving the reverse inclusion.
For an integral scheme, take on each affine chart the integral closure of its coordinate ring in its function field. Integral closure commutes with localization, so these rings glue to a normal scheme with an integral birational morphism to the original scheme. This is the normalization. It need not be finite without additional hypotheses; for an algebraic curve of finite type over a field it is finite. It is an isomorphism exactly when the original scheme is normal.
At a point of the smooth algebraic curve , the local ring is a discrete valuation ring. Embed the projective variety in . A rational map of algebraic varieties to has homogeneous coordinates in the function field , not all zero. Let be the local valuation, choose a uniformizer , and set . The coordinates are regular at , and at least one is a unit. On a sufficiently small open subset containing , all these functions are regular and that coordinate stays nonzero. Their ratios therefore define a morphism of algebraic varieties into the corresponding affine chart of . Every homogeneous equation defining vanishes on the original dense open, hence vanishes identically on this neighborhood. The local extension consequently lands in .
Two such extensions agree wherever the original rational map of algebraic varieties is defined. Their equalizer is closed, because is a separated variety, and contains a dense open. Thus they agree throughout their overlap and glue. The rational map has a unique extension to a morphism on all of . Projectivity is needed for the target; the source need not be projective.
For the function field correspondence, let be a finitely generated field extension of transcendence degree one. Choose a transcendence basis consisting of one element . The extension is finite: finitely many algebraic generators each have finite degree. Take the integral closures of and in . The finiteness assumption allowed in the paper makes both finite modules over their original coordinate rings. Integral closure commutes with localization, so these two rings agree over and glue to the finite normalization model of a one-variable function field . This is a finite morphism, hence projective, and its function field is . Its one-dimensional normal local rings are discrete valuation rings, so it is regular. Since the algebraically closed field is perfect, regularity here implies smoothness. Thus is a smooth projective curve.
Conversely the function field of a smooth projective curve is finitely generated over and has transcendence degree one. Two such curves with isomorphic function fields have mutually inverse birational maps. The extension argument just proved makes both maps morphisms; their composites equal the identity on a dense open, and hence everywhere by separatedness. This proves uniqueness of the smooth projective model. More precisely, pullback gives a contravariant correspondence between nonconstant morphisms of smooth projective curves and -embeddings of their function fields. A field embedding defines the map on affine coordinates near the generic point, and the extension argument completes it. Constant morphisms are excluded from this correspondence because they do not induce embeddings of function fields.
Finally let be nonconstant. Its image is dense, and pullback gives a finite extension : both fields have transcendence degree one and the latter is finitely generated. Normalize in , applying the allowed finite-integral closure result on affine charts. This gives a finite morphism with a smooth projective curve and function field . The identification of function fields gives an isomorphism by the preceding paragraph. Its composite with equals at the generic point, hence equals everywhere. Every nonconstant morphism of these curves is finite.
The Absolute Frobenius morphism is the identity on the underlying topological space and acts on the structure sheaf by . On an affine scheme it is induced by the ring homomorphism , . This is additive in characteristic , and the inverse image of a prime ideal is again , since exactly when . These affine maps agree under localization and hence glue.
A perfect ring of characteristic p is one whose Frobenius endomorphism is bijective. Since the Absolute Frobenius morphism fixes points, its map on the stalk at is precisely the Frobenius endomorphism of . A morphism of sheaves is an isomorphism exactly when it is an isomorphism on all stalks. Therefore
In the reverse direction the inverse sheaf map, together with the identity on points, gives the inverse morphism of locally ringed spaces. This is perfection in the Frobenius sense, not the unrelated homological use of the word perfect.
For the function field assertions below, interpret the normal schemes as integral, as is implicit in writing a single field or . General normal schemes need not be irreducible; without this interpretation those fields are not defined globally as single fields. Set . For an affine open in , finiteness gives , with finite and both rings normal domains. In fact is the integral closure of in : any element of integral over is also integral over and therefore belongs to . This local description yields the two forms of Frobenius factorization through a finite normal cover.
Write as the ring homomorphism . By the permitted assumption, is a finitely generated -algebra. We will prove that every element of is integral over , including any nilpotent contribution. If , there is nothing to prove.
We use the integral closure as an intersection of valuation rings in its general form: if an integral domain lies in a field , then its integral closure inside is the intersection of all valuation rings of containing . Here need not be the fraction field of . One direction follows from valuation rings are integrally closed. For the other, if is not integral, the ideal is proper: an expression for in that ideal, multiplied by a sufficiently large power of , would be a monic equation for . Choose a maximal ideal containing this ideal, and apply the valuation domination lemma to the corresponding local ring inside . The resulting valuation ring contains and has in its maximal ideal, so . This proves the claimed intersection criterion. The valuation domination lemma is obtained by choosing, using Zorn's lemma, a maximal local overring dominating the given local ring; the usual alternative between adjoining and adjoining forces this maximal overring to be a valuation ring.
The Noetherian ring has finitely many minimal prime ideals . Set
Take any valuation ring of containing . The maps and form a square for the valuative criterion for properness. Its lift gives , whose composite with is the original map. Consequently the image is contained in . The intersection criterion proves that every element of is integral over .
Fix . For each , choose a monic polynomial whose value at the image of in is zero; coefficients over can be lifted to . The product is monic and satisfies
The nilradical of a Noetherian ring is nilpotent. Explicitly, choose finitely many generators with ; every product of generators then contains a vanishing power. Thus for some , and is a monic polynomial annihilating . Hence is integral over .
Finally choose algebra generators , with monic equations of degrees . Reducing powers in these equations shows that the finitely many monomials
span as an -module. Therefore is a finite -module, proving
Put and let be the integral closure of in . We first establish the elementary integral extension machinery, and then use the trace pairing to put inside a finite -module.
An integral element satisfies a monic polynomial over the base ring. If its equation has degree , the powers generate as an -module. More generally, adjoining finitely many integral elements gives a finitely generated module: reduce the exponent of each generator using its monic equation. Conversely, if an -submodule of an extension algebra contains , is finitely generated, and is stable under multiplication by , choose generators and write . Multiplying by its adjugate shows that its monic determinant annihilates every , hence annihilates . This finite-module criterion for integrality is the determinant trick.
If are integral elements, the finite -module is stable under , and . The criterion proves that these are integral elements. Thus the integral closure really is a subring. It also proves integral dependence is transitive: if is integral over an integral -algebra , take the finitely many coefficients of its equation, form their finite -subalgebra , and observe that is finite over and therefore finite over . The criterion applies to . In particular, an algebra generated by finitely many integral elements is a finite integral extension, even though an arbitrary integral extension need not be finite.
Choose a -basis of . Each basis element is algebraic over . If
choose a nonzero clearing all coefficient denominators. Then satisfies a monic equation with coefficients . Hence all belong to and still form a -basis. This is integral field basis by denominator clearing.
We next prove the trace of an integral element over a normal domain property. For , its images under all -embeddings of into an algebraic closure are integral elements over , because each satisfies the same monic equation. Their sum is integral by the subring property just proved. Since is a separable field extension, that sum is the field trace and lies in . The normality assumption means that is a normal domain, equivalently an integrally closed domain, so
The same conclusion applies to , since is a ring.
The trace pairing of a finite separable field extension is nondegenerate. One can see this directly using the allowed Galois theory: for a primitive element , the embedding matrix of is a Vandermonde matrix in the distinct conjugates of . Its determinant is nonzero, and the trace Gram matrix is its transpose times itself. Nondegeneracy is unchanged by a change of basis.
Let . Its trace-dual lattice is
Nondegeneracy supplies a trace-dual -basis , with . The coefficient formula gives
Equivalently, the matrix has entries in and nonzero determinant ; if , then and the adjugate formula gives . Thus as well. Both descriptions exhibit a finite free ambient -module.
A finite -module is a Noetherian module when is a Noetherian ring, and every submodule of a Noetherian module is finitely generated. Since is an -submodule of , we obtain
This proves finiteness of integral closure in a finite separable extension. The hypotheses have distinct roles: separability makes the trace pairing nonsingular, normality puts integral traces back in , and Noetherianity makes the contained submodule finite. Also , since the integral basis elements span over , and is itself Noetherian because its ideals are -submodules of a finite -module.
The integral closure of in is
It is a subring: finitely many integral elements generate a finite -module algebra, and the determinant trick shows that each element of that algebra is integral. In particular, sums and products of integral elements remain integral.
A valuation ring is an integral domain such that, for every nonzero in its fraction field, either or . Equivalently, its ideals are totally ordered by inclusion. For principal ideals, comparability is precisely the condition on ; if two arbitrary ideals were incomparable, elements chosen from their differences would contradict principal-ideal comparability. Such a ring is local. Its nonunits form an ideal: if are nonunits and, for example, , then is still a nonunit. The unique maximal ideal consists of those nonunits.
First, valuation rings are integrally closed. If , then is a nonunit and lies in its maximal ideal . A monic relation for over , multiplied by , would give
which is impossible modulo . Therefore every element integral over belongs to every valuation subring of containing .
For the reverse inclusion, we will construct a valuation overring that excludes any chosen nonintegral element. We need the valuation domination lemma: a local subring of a field is dominated by a valuation subring of , meaning and . Here is a proof, including the crucial maximality step.
Order the local subrings of dominating by domination. For a chain, take the union of the rings and of their maximal ideals. The union is a local ring: an element outside the union ideal is already a unit in a member of the chain, while an element in that ideal cannot become a unit in a later dominating member. The union still dominates . Thus Zorn's lemma supplies a maximal pair .
For any , at least one of and is proper. Suppose otherwise. There would be relations
with chosen minimal. Both are positive. Since and are units, normalize the relations to have zero constant term and left-hand side one. If , the second relation gives
Repeatedly substituting this monic reduction in the first relation yields a relation for of degree less than , with every coefficient still in . This contradicts minimality of (or gives if the degree is zero). If , interchange and and use the first relation to reduce the second, contradicting minimality of .
Choose whichever extension has a proper extended ideal, then a maximal ideal containing it. Localizing that extension at the chosen maximal ideal produces a local ring dominating . If both and were outside , this would be a strict enlargement, contradicting maximality. Thus has the valuation property. In particular its fraction field is all of , since each nonzero element of or its inverse belongs to . This proves the valuation domination lemma.
Now let be nonintegral over , so , and set , . The ideal is proper: otherwise , and multiplication by gives a monic equation for over . Choose a maximal ideal of containing , and apply the valuation domination lemma to . Its dominating valuation ring contains and has . Hence is not invertible in , so .
We have excluded every nonintegral element from at least one valuation overring, while every integral element belongs to all of them. Therefore the integral closure as an intersection of valuation rings is
Neither Noetherianity nor a discrete valuation is required for this separation argument.
An integral domain is an integrally closed domain if every element of its fraction field which is an integral element over belongs to . Explicitly, if satisfies
then . Thus .
Suppose is a unique factorization domain and is integral, with , , and with no common irreducible element as a factor. Multiplying its monic equation by gives
Hence divides . Every irreducible element dividing is a prime element, so it would divide , contrary to the choice of the fraction. Therefore is a unit, and . We have proved
The going-down theorem is the following. Let be an integral extension of integral domains with an integrally closed domain. If
then
We first prove this for a module-finite ring extension and then remove that extra hypothesis. We use the Lying-over theorem, the going-up theorem, and the incomparability theorem for integral extensions: primes exist over every base prime, prime chains can be extended upwards, and distinct primes over the same base prime cannot contain one another. The going-up theorem follows by applying the Lying-over theorem to the quotient by the lower prime. These results concern arbitrary integral extensions; none assumes the going-down theorem.
For the finite case, let and . Since is module-finite, is a finite field extension. Take a finite normal field extension containing , obtained as a splitting field of the minimal polynomials of finitely many field generators. The extension need not be a separable field extension. Let be the integral closure of in . Then , and is integral over both and .
We need one auxiliary fact: the finite group acts transitively on the prime ideals of over any fixed prime ideal of . First observe that an element fixed by all of is a purely inseparable algebraic element over . Indeed, all -embeddings of into an algebraic closure extend to -automorphisms of the normal field extension . Hence the minimal polynomial of an algebraic element has only one distinct root. In characteristic zero this says ; in characteristic it says for some .
Now let be primes of over , and suppose is different from every , . By the incomparability theorem for integral extensions, is contained in none of these conjugate primes. The prime avoidance lemma supplies
The product
is fixed by , is integral over , and lies in because one factor is . Choose an exponent equal to in characteristic zero, or a power of in characteristic , such that . Since is an integrally closed domain, . It also lies in , hence in . Because is a prime ideal, some factor lies in . This means , contradicting our choice. Thus for some , proving transitivity. The power accounts for the possible purely inseparable field extension and makes the argument valid in every characteristic.
Lift the prescribed to a prime of by the Lying-over theorem for . Separately, choose a prime over and use the going-up theorem to find over . Transitivity gives with . Then
Contracting to gives with the required contraction. This proves the going-down theorem for the module-finite case.
For a general integral extension , consider and the ideal
We claim that is disjoint from . Otherwise, clearing the finitely many denominators in an expression for an element gives
The subalgebra is a module-finite ring extension of , since all its generators are integral elements. Apply the finite case to : there is a prime contracting to . The displayed identity puts in , but . Thus , a contradiction.
Localize further at the multiplicative subset . The extension of is a proper ideal, by the disjointness just proved. Choose a maximal ideal containing it and contract back to a prime ideal of . This prime contains and avoids . Its contraction to lies inside by the prime ideal correspondence for localization, and its contraction to is exactly . This completes the proof of the going-down theorem without any finite generation assumption on .
If are integral over , then is finite over : it is generated by finitely many monomials . Multiplication by , , or is an endomorphism of this finite module, so the determinant trick gives a monic annihilating polynomial. Hence the integral elements form a subring containing .
The integral closure of in is this subring . The ring is integrally closed in when , and is integral over when .
Ring of integers 2026-10-14
The ring of integers of a number field is
It is the integral closure of in . Its additive group is a free abelian group of rank , so an integral basis writes every element uniquely as with . Its field of fractions is .[ref]
For , this gives ; for , it gives . The Gaussian integers give the corresponding example inside . The ring of integers is determined by the field, and need not equal for a chosen algebraic integer generator: in , the larger ring contains with index two.
This is the setting for divisibility, global units, and prime ideal factorization. A ring of integers is a Dedekind domain, so every nonzero proper ideal factors uniquely into nonzero prime ideals, even when unique factorization of elements fails.[ref]
Trace of an integral element over a normal domain Created 2026-10-07 Updated 2026-10-14
For a normal domain with fraction field , the field trace of an integral element in a finite separable field extension belongs to . Its conjugates are integral, so their sum is integral; it lies in and hence in by normality. This places the integral closure inside a trace-dual lattice.