Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2018 / ii / Paper 4 / 20G (Number Fields)

Put $\alpha =\sqrt[n]{m}$. It is an algebraic integer because it satisfies the monic polynomial $X^n-m$. Choose a prime number $q$ dividing the square-free integer $m$, and choose a prime ideal $\mathfrak{p}$ of ${\mathcal{O}}_L$ above $q$. Fromand prime ideal factorization, the $\mathfrak{p}$-adic exponents satisfybecause $q$ occurs to exponent one in $m$. Hence $n$ divides the ramification index of a prime ideal $e_{\mathfrak{p}}$. If $d=[L:\mathbb{Q}]$, then $e_{\mathfrak{p}}\le d$, while the equation ${\alpha }^n=m$ gives $d\le n$. Thereforeso

Write $\alpha =\sqrt[n]{m}$ and $\zeta =e^{2\pi i/n}$. The $n$ field embeddings of $L$ into $\mathbb{C}$ send $\alpha$ to ${\zeta }^j\alpha$, so the field trace isFor the trace pairing $T(x,y)={\mathrm{Tr}}_{L/\mathbb{Q}}(xy)$, the basis ${\beta }_i={\alpha }^i$ therefore has dual basis

Every element of $\mathbb{Z}[\alpha ]$ is an algebraic integer. If $x\in {\mathcal{O}}_L$ and $z\in \mathbb{Z}[\alpha ]$, then $xz$ is an algebraic integer and its trace is an integer. Thus $x$ belongs to the trace-dual lattice of $\mathbb{Z}[\alpha ]$, which is generated over $\mathbb{Z}$ by the displayed dual basis. Since $1/n=m/(nm)$, every such linear combination lies in $(nm{)}^{-1}\mathbb{Z}[\alpha ]$. Hence

Now let $n=m=p$ be prime and put $\alpha =\sqrt[p]{p}$ and $A=\mathbb{Z}[\alpha ]$. The Eisenstein criterion applied at $p$ gives $[\mathbb{Q}(\alpha ):\mathbb{Q}]=p$, while the discriminant of elements of a number field of its power basis iswhere $f(X)=X^p-p$. By the discriminant-index formula for an integral lattice, every prime dividing $[{\mathcal{O}}_L:A]$ must therefore be $p$.

Suppose $A\ne {\mathcal{O}}_L$. The finite abelian group ${\mathcal{O}}_L/A$ is then a nontrivial finite p-group, so it contains an element of order $p$. Consequently there is an $x\in {\mathcal{O}}_L\setminus A$ such thatwith some $c_k$ not divisible by $p$.

The polynomial $X^p-p$ is Eisenstein, so total ramification from an Eisenstein polynomial gives a unique prime ideal $P$ above $p$ with normalized discrete valuationLet $k_0$ be the least index for which $p\nmid c_{k_0}$. The term $c_{k_0}{\alpha }^{k_0}$ has valuation $k_0<p$; every earlier term has valuation at least $p$, and every later term with coefficient prime to $p$ has a distinct, larger valuation. The non-Archimedean valuation therefore givesThis contradicts $x\in {\mathcal{O}}_L$, since an algebraic integer has nonnegative valuation at every prime ideal. Thus $A={\mathcal{O}}_L$, and