Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / ii / Paper 4 / 17I (Galois Theory)

The Fundamental theorem of Galois theory applies to a finite Galois extension $L/K$ with group $G$. It gives inclusion-reversing inverse bijectionsThe fixed field $L^H$ consists of elements fixed by every member of $H$. Moreover $[L:L^H]=|H|$ and $[L^H:K]=[G:H]$. An intermediate extension $M/K$ is Galois iff $H=\mathrm{Gal}(L/M)$ is normal, in which case restriction gives $\mathrm{Gal}(M/K)\cong G/H$. All intermediate $L/M$ are themselves Galois. Finiteness and normality/separability of $L/K$ are essential for this stated form.

A cyclotomic field over $\mathbb{Q}$ is a field $\mathbb{Q}({\zeta }_m)$ generated by an $m$th root of unity of exact order $m$. It contains all roots of $X^m-1$, and is its splitting field. In characteristic zero this polynomial is separable, so the extension is Galois.

Every automorphism sends ${\zeta }_m$ to ${\zeta }_m^a$ with $a\in (\mathbb{Z}/m\mathbb{Z}{)}^{\times }$, and is determined by that image. Composition multiplies the exponents modulo $m$, yielding an injective homomorphism into an abelian group. Thus the Galois group is abelian. Using irreducibility of the cyclotomic polynomial, every unit exponent occurs andIf “cyclotomic” is used more broadly for a subfield of such a field, it is still Galois and abelian, because every subgroup of an abelian Galois group is normal.

The cyclotomic polynomial ${\Phi }_7=1+X+\cdots +X^6$ is irreducible: replacing $X$ by $X+1$ gives an Eisenstein polynomial at seven. Hence the extension has degree six, andThere is one subgroup of each order $1,2,3,6$, and therefore precisely four intermediate fields. The trivial subgroup fixes $\mathbb{Q}(\eta )$; the whole group fixes $\mathbb{Q}$. The order-two subgroup $\{1,6\}$ is complex conjugation and fixes $\mathbb{Q}(\eta +{\eta }^{-1})$, of degree three: $\eta$ satisfies $X^2-(\eta +{\eta }^{-1})X+1$ and is not real.

The order-three subgroup $\{1,2,4\}$ fixes $u=\eta +{\eta }^2+{\eta }^4$. Its other conjugate is $v={\eta }^3+{\eta }^5+{\eta }^6$. Expanding products and using ${\sum }_{j=1}^6{\eta }^j=-1$ gives $u+v=-1$ and $uv=2$. Thus $u^2+u+2=0$, and this fixed field is $\mathbb{Q}(u)=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-7})$, of degree two. These generators have the required degrees and are fixed by the indicated subgroups, so the Galois correspondence proves they are the full fixed fields.