Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2022 / ii / Paper 2 / 20H (Number Fields)

Distinct prime-power ideals are pairwise comaximal. For comaximal ideals, product equals intersection, so induction givesThe Chinese remainder theorem therefore gives the ring isomorphism

The ideal approximation theorem, proved by applying this Chinese-remainder map one prime power deeper, suppliesEquivalently, $v_{P_i}(\alpha )=m_i$ at every prime dividing $I$.

Since $(\alpha )\subseteq I$, the fractional idealis an integral ideal and $I{I}^{\prime }=(\alpha )$ is a principal ideal. At every $P_i\mid I$,
$v_{P_i}(I^{\prime })=v_{P_i}(\alpha )-m_i=0$, so $I+I^{\prime }={\mathcal{O}}_K$.

Choose $\beta \in I$ and $\gamma \in I^{\prime }$ with $\beta +\gamma =1$. Then
$\alpha ,\beta \in I$. For any $x\in I$,Thusso every ideal of ${\mathcal{O}}_K$ has a generating set of two elements.

The Dedekind factorization theorem says that, when a rational prime $p$ does not divide the index of an order $\mathbb{Z}[\theta ]\subseteq {\mathcal{O}}_K$, a factorizationof the minimal polynomial modulo $p$ gives

Let $K=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{d})$ with square-free $d$, and let $p$ be odd. The resulting splitting of rational primes in a quadratic field is:

Finally suppose $d>0$ and
$\alpha =A/C+(B/C)\sqrt{d}$ has norm $-1$, with integers
$A,B,C$ chosen coprime. ThenIf an odd $p\equiv 3(\mathrm{mod}4)$ ramified, then $p\mid d$. Reduction modulo $p$ gives
$A^2\equiv -C^2(\mathrm{mod}p)$. Since $-1$ is not a square modulo such a prime, $p\mid A,C$. Dividing the equation's divisibility shows $p\mid B$ as well (use that square-free $d$ has $p$-adic valuation one), contradicting coprimality. Hence no prime $p\equiv 3(\mathrm{mod}4)$ ramifies.