Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2012 / iii / Paper 28 / 2

A useful version is the strong form of Hensel lemma. Let $K$ be complete for a Non-Archimedean absolute value, let $f\in {\mathcal{O}}_K[X]$, and suppose $a\in {\mathcal{O}}_K$ satisfiesThen there is a unique root $\alpha$ in the ball $|\alpha -a|<|f^{\prime }(a)|$, and $|\alpha -a|\le |f(a)/f^{\prime }(a)|$.

Put $h=|f^{\prime }(a)|$ and $\eta =|f(a)|/h^2<1$. Starting with $x_0=a$, apply Newton iteration over a valued field $x_{n+1}=x_n-f(x_n)/f^{\prime }(x_n)$. Taylor expansion over the valuation ring givesfor integral $x,u$. Inductively $|f^{\prime }(x_n)|=h$ and $|f(x_n)|/h^2\le {\eta }^{2^n}$. Indeed the Newton increment has size at most $h{\eta }^{2^n}<h$, so the derivative size is unchanged, and the new function value is bounded by the square of the increment. The increments tend to zero, and the ultrametric inequality makes the sequence Cauchy. Completeness supplies a root with the stated distance bound.

If $b,c$ are distinct points of the ball, their divided difference is $f^{\prime }(a)$ plus a term of size at most $\max (|b-a|,|c-a|)<h$, so $(f(b)-f(c))/(b-c)$ is nonzero. Two roots in that ball are impossible. This proves the stated Hensel lemma. In particular a simple root modulo the maximal ideal lifts uniquely to a root in its residue class.

For $p=2$, the even residue class contains exactly one root, by the simple-root form of Hensel lemma at $a=0$: $f(0)=20$ and $f^{\prime }(0)=-5$ is a unit. For the odd classes use the strong form of Hensel lemma:In both cases $v_2(f(a))>2v_2(f^{\prime }(a))=2$. Each gives exactly one root in $a+4{\mathbb{Z}}_2$. These two balls partition the odd integers, so there are no further roots.

For $p=3$, reduction gives $\overline{f}=X^3+X+2$, whose sole root is $2$. The derivative $3X^2-5$ is always a unit modulo $3$, so that root lifts uniquely. For $p=5$, the only possible residue is zero. But if $x\in 5{\mathbb{Z}}_5$, then $x^3-5x\in 25{\mathbb{Z}}_5$ while $20$ has valuation one, so $f(x)$ cannot vanish. The exact root counts are

The polynomial is an Eisenstein polynomial at $5$, so it is irreducible and $[K:\mathbb{Q}]=3$. Its polynomial discriminant isOne must remove the index at $2$ before using this as the field discriminant. Put $\beta =({\alpha }^2+\alpha )/2$. Direct reduction using ${\alpha }^3=5\alpha -20$ givesThus $B=\mathbb{Z}+\mathbb{Z}\alpha +\mathbb{Z}\beta$ is a ring finite over $\mathbb{Z}$, so its elements are integral. Its basis has discriminant of elements of a number field $-2575=-5^2\cdot 103$. The discriminant-index formula for an integral lattice says $\mathrm{disc}(B)=[{\mathcal{O}}_K:B{]}^2{\Delta }_K$, so only $5$ 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 $e$ has different exponent $e-1$. The Eisenstein polynomial at $5$ gives total ramification of degree three, which is tame because $5\nmid 3$. Its contribution to $v_5({\Delta }_K)$ is therefore two. This excludes a further index factor $5$, proving ${\mathcal{O}}_K=B$ and $\boxed{{\Delta }_K=-2575}$.

Since the index $[{\mathcal{O}}_K:\mathbb{Z}[\alpha ]]=2$ is prime to $5$ and $103$, Dedekind factorization theorem applies at both primes. Modulo $5$, $f=X^3$, giving a single prime $\mathfrak{p}=(5,\alpha )$ with residue degree one and ramification index three. Modulo $103$,Thus $\mathfrak{q}=(103,\alpha -6)$ has residue degree one and ramification index two; the other prime over $103$ is unramified. Both ramified primes are tame. No other prime ramifies because none divides ${\Delta }_K$. Consequently