Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2018 / iii / Paper 101 / 5

A Dedekind domain is a Noetherian ring $D$ which is an integral domain, is an integrally closed domain, and has Krull dimension one. Explicitly, every ideal is finitely generated; every element of the fraction field that is an integral element over $D$ already belongs to $D$; and every nonzero prime ideal is a maximal ideal, with $D$ itself not a field.

With this convention, an equivalent local characterization is that $D$ is a Noetherian integral domain that is not a field and whose localization at a prime ideal $D_P$ is a discrete valuation ring for every nonzero prime ideal $P$. The integrally closed domain condition rules out singularities such as those represented by the subring $k[t^2,t^3]\subset k[t]$, where $t$ is integral but missing.

Some conventions also include fields by allowing Krull dimension at most one; the conclusions about ideals below remain valid under that convention.

The unique factorization of ideals in a Dedekind domain states that every nonzero proper ideal $I$ of a Dedekind domain $D$ has a factorizationwhere the $P_j$ are distinct nonzero prime ideals and the $n_j$ are positive integers. The prime ideals and their exponents are unique up to reordering. The unit ideal $D$ is the empty product; the zero ideal is excluded.

Write $v_P(I)$ for the prime-ideal valuation in a Dedekind domain, namely the exponent of $P$ in this factorization, with zero assigned when $P$ is absent. The associated containment rule isLarger exponents give smaller ideals, just as higher divisibility gives smaller principal ideals in $\mathbb{Z}$. The theorem concerns unique factorization of ideals; it does not assert unique factorization of elements or that these ideals are principal.

Let $D$ be a Dedekind domain. The zero ideal is generated by $0$, and $D$ is generated by $1$, so consider a nonzero proper ideal $I$. Choose $0\ne a\in I$. We use these consequences of the unique factorization of ideals in a Dedekind domain: every nonzero ideal has finitely many nonzero prime-ideal valuations in a Dedekind domain; containment reverses the valuations as in part (b); andThe last formula follows from the containment rule: $J+K$ is the smallest ideal containing both $J$ and $K$, and the product with the indicated minimum exponents is exactly that ideal.

Let $T$ be the finite set of prime ideals dividing $(a)$. For each $P\in T$, set $r_P=v_P(I)$. Since $(a)\subseteq I$, we have $r_P\le v_P((a))$. The containment rule also gives $I⊈P^{r_P+1}$, so chooseDistinct nonzero prime ideals of $D$ are distinct maximal ideals and hence comaximal ideals; their positive powers are also comaximal. Indeed, if $u+v=1$ with $u\in P$, $v\in Q$, for positive integers $m,n$ expanding $(u+v{)}^{m+n-1}$ shows $1\in P^m+Q^n$, since each term contains either at least $m$ factors of $u$ or at least $n$ factors of $v$. We use the Chinese remainder theorem in its ideal form: for pairwise comaximal ideals $J_1,\dots ,J_s$, the map $D\to {\prod }_{j}D/J_j$ is surjective. Apply it to the powers $P^{r_P+1}$ to choose $e_P\in D$ withThen $b={\sum }_{P\in T}{e}_P{b}_P$ belongs to $I$ and satisfies $b\equiv b_P(\mathrm{mod}{P}^{r_P+1})$ for every $P\in T$. Thus $b\notin P^{r_P+1}$, whereas $b\in I\subseteq P^{r_P}$, proving $v_P((b))=r_P$.

For $P\in T$, therefore,For $P\notin T$, $v_P((a))=0$, and $(a)\subseteq I$ forces $v_P(I)=0$ as well. Hence $(a,b)$ and $I$ have the same valuation at every nonzero prime ideal. Uniqueness of their factorizations givesThis proves two generators for an ideal in a Dedekind domain; in fact the first nonzero generator $a\in I$ can be chosen in advance.

TakeWe justify that this is a Dedekind domain. It is an integral domain inside the number field $K=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-5})$. As an additive group it is free of rank two over $\mathbb{Z}$. The subgroup theorem for finitely generated abelian groups says that every subgroup of such a group is finitely generated. Thus every ideal has finitely many additive generators, and those same elements generate it as a $D$-ideal. This proves that $D$ is Noetherian.

We use the standard formula for the ring of integers of a quadratic field: for squarefree $d$, it is $\mathbb{Z}[(1+\sqrt{d})/2]$ if $d\equiv 1(\mathrm{mod}4)$, and $\mathbb{Z}[\sqrt{d}]$ otherwise. Since $-5\equiv 3(\mathrm{mod}4)$, $D$ is the ring of integers of a number field $K$, meaning all elements of $K$ integral over $\mathbb{Z}$. We also use transitivity of integral extensions. If an element of $K$ is integral over $D$, it is integral over $\mathbb{Z}$ because $D$ is integral over $\mathbb{Z}$, and therefore belongs to $D$. Thus $D$ is an integrally closed domain.

Every nonzero prime ideal $P$ is maximal. Indeed, choose $0\ne \alpha =a+b\sqrt{-5}\in P$. Multiplying by its algebraic conjugate puts the nonzero integer $N(\alpha )=a^2+5b^2$ in $P$. Hence the integral domain $D/P$ is a quotient of the finite ring $D/N(\alpha )D$, and is finite. Every finite integral domain is a field, since multiplication by a nonzero element is injective and therefore surjective. The element $2$ has no inverse in $D$, since $1/2\notin \mathbb{Z}[\sqrt{-5}]$, so $D$ is not a field. Consequently $(0)$ is not maximal, and a maximal ideal above it is nonzero. Together with the preceding result, this gives Krull dimension exactly one.

Finally, consider the idealReduction modulo $2$ with $\sqrt{-5}\mapsto 1$ identifies $D/I$ with ${\mathbb{F}}_2$, so the additive index $[D:I]$ is $2$. If $I$ were the principal ideal $(a+b\sqrt{-5})$, multiplication by its nonzero generator would have integer matrixin the basis $1,\sqrt{-5}$. The index of its image is the absolute determinant, soThere are no integer solutions: $b\ne 0$ makes the right side at least $5$, while $b=0$ would require $a^2=2$. Thus $I$ is a nonprincipal ideal in the integers adjoined a square root of minus five, and $D$ is a Dedekind domain that is not a principal ideal domain.