Completely split prime 2026-10-06
A prime ideal of a number field splits completely in a finite extension of degree when it factors into distinct prime ideals, each of residue-field degree one. In a Galois extension, an unramified prime ideal splits completely exactly when its Frobenius conjugacy class is the identity class. The Chebotarev density theorem then gives these primes Dirichlet density .
Non-Archimedean place of a number field Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
If a prime ideal of lies over the prime number with ramification index of a prime ideal , its normalized absolute value isIt extends the usual p-adic absolute value on . Its local degree is , where is the residue-field degree.
Norm of the different ideal 2026-10-06
The relative discriminant of a finite extension of number fields is the relative norm of a fractional ideal applied to its different ideal. Consequently, at ,where is the residue-field degree and is the different exponent. Over , .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 74 4 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Set and , with valuation rings . Let be the ramification index, the residue-field degree, and the residue characteristic. A base uniformizer generates in , up to a unit. The free -module has rank . For an integral , its field trace is the matrix trace of multiplication by on this module. Reduction modulo preserves the matrix trace.
The quotient has a filtrationEach of the successive quotients is a one-dimensional vector space over . On each, multiplication by acts as multiplication by its residue , whose trace over is . A basis adapted to the filtration makes the multiplication matrix block triangular, so its trace is the sum of these quotient traces. This proves trace reduction in a ramified local extension:Since the hypothesis says , the right side is zero in . ThusNo normality hypothesis is needed. The original PDF only requires divisibility of , not divisibility exactly once; the converted TeX has corrupted that condition and several local subscripts.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 81 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be an extension of number fields, let be a primitive element of a field extension, and let be its monic minimal polynomial of an algebraic element. Put and . The Kummer-Dedekind theorem applies at a nonzero prime ideal of when : equivalently, is outside the support of the finite-index quotient . Write the factorization over the residue field aswith distinct monic irreducible polynomials , and choose monic lifts . ThenHere denotes the residue-field degree, and the ramification index of a prime ideal is .
To prove this, the local index condition givesThe final isomorphism is the Chinese remainder theorem. Each factor is a local ring with unique maximal ideal generated by , so its inverse image in is exactly , and its residue field is . This proves the list of primes and the residue-field degrees. For the exponents, localize at . The ring of integers of a number field is a Dedekind domain, so is a discrete valuation ring. If , the quotient has successive layers isomorphic to , and hence -dimension . The corresponding polynomial factor has -dimension . Thus , completing the proof rather than merely identifying the radicals.
For the calculation, set and . The ring of integers of a quadratic field gives , with . The algebraic norm of is , so its principal ideal has ideal norm . Its quotient ring has prime order and is therefore the finite field ; consequently is a prime ideal. In that residue field, and .
Let . Since lies in , the permitted identity gives . Thus the local index condition holds at every prime. The relative minimal polynomial of an algebraic element is , whose reduction isThe roots are distinct. Applying the Kummer-Dedekind theorem givesFor the last equality, evaluation at or in gives and therefore . Both descriptions are the same kernels of these evaluation maps. Each prime has ideal norm , residue-field degree one and ramification index of a prime ideal one.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 81 2 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Write , and for the number of primes above . The Galois group acts transitively on those primes, with stabilizer . The fundamental identity for prime decomposition and the orbit-stabilizer theorem therefore giveIt remains to establish that the residue action has image of order , rather than assume this in the desired equality.
Use the decomposition group of a prime and local Galois group identification . A generator of the finite field extension has a separable monic minimal polynomial of an algebraic element. Lift its coefficients to . The Hensel lemma lifts each of its distinct residue roots to . One such lift has field degree at most , while its residue generates the degree- finite field extension, so its field degree is exactly and its ramification index of a prime ideal is one. It therefore generates an unramified extension of degree , and sending it to each of the other lifts gives its embeddings. Because is a Galois extension, these embeddings extend to its automorphisms. Their reductions realize every automorphism of . Thus the residue action is surjective, and
Now let be cyclic of order , and let be its unique subgroup of order . In a tower of Galois extensions, inertia maps onto inertia in the intermediate extension. This also follows from the just-proved order formula: its image has order , using multiplicativity of the ramification index of a prime ideal in a tower. If ramifies in , this image in is nontrivial. Every proper subgroup of is contained in , so inertia upstairs must be . HenceThe fundamental identity for prime decomposition then also forces a single prime above and residue-field degree one.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 28 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For a finite extension of number fields, the inverse different is the fractional idealThe different ideal is its inverse. The trace pairing is nondegenerate because extensions of number fields are separable, so this definition gives a full fractional ideal. The inclusion shows that is integral.
Write its prime ideal factorization as . For above , with ramification index and residue characteristic , the different exponent and tame ramification theorem saysThe equivalence uses the separability of finite residue-field extensions. In particular, precisely at unramified prime ideals; in the wild case . This theorem does not require a Galois extension. The relative discriminant is the norm of the different ideal:For , this gives .
Now take and . For any prime number , the square-free integer hypothesis makes an Eisenstein polynomial at . It is therefore irreducible, and is a pure cubic number field of degree . Since is an algebraic integer, is an order in a number field. The discriminant of elements of a number field for its basis isFor example, the resultant of and is , and the degree-three sign in the polynomial discriminant is negative. If , the discriminant-index formula for an integral lattice givesOnly prime numbers dividing can therefore divide .
For , the Eisenstein polynomial gives a totally ramified extension of of degree . Thus has a unique prime ideal above , with ramification index and residue-field degree . Since , this is tame ramification, and the different exponent and tame ramification theorem gives . Hence . Comparing with in the discriminant-index formula for an integral lattice yields .
At , use the shifted Eisenstein polynomial of :Because , the constant term is divisible by . Moreover,when : the factors and cannot both be divisible by . The hypotheses therefore give , so the translated polynomial is an Eisenstein polynomial at . The resulting completion is a totally ramified extension of degree , with residue-field degree , and its ramification index is divisible by the residue characteristic. Thus its different exponent is at least .
It follows that . But , soforces and . No prime number divides . We have proved the integral basis of a nonexceptional pure cubic field:Using local Eisenstein polynomials here only establishes the local ramification indices; it does not assume that is already the full ring of integers of a number field.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 136 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Let be a finite Galois extension of non-Archimedean local fields, let , and normalize the discrete valuation by . The lower ramification numbering isHere is the inertia group and is the wild inertia group. For real , put ; thus for . Define the Herbrand function and its inverse byextending on . The upper ramification numbering is for .
Let over , with its uniformizer. The Artin–Schreier polynomial has derivative in characteristic , so all its roots are distinct. If is one root and another, then , so . Conversely every , , is a root. Thus contains all roots and is a splitting field of a separable polynomial; it is Galois. Every automorphism has the form , and its Galois group embeds in the additive group of .
There is no root in . If , then cannot have negative valuation. If , the ultrametric inequality gives , divisible by , whereas is not. The Galois group is consequently nontrivial. Its order divides the prime , so
Let be the ramification index. The equation forces , and henceAs , . Since , we get , residue-field degree one, and . Thus this is a totally ramified extension, andThis is a uniformizer. The uniformizer criterion for lower ramification groups states that for a totally ramified Galois extension, exactly when . Here every nonidentity automorphism satisfiesTherefore the ramification break of an Artin–Schreier pole occurs at , and the lower groups areThis includes , where the break is one. There is no off-by-one shift: the condition is .
For the upper groups, compute the Herbrand function explicitly:Hence the upper break is also and, with the stated real-index convention,As a consistency check, satisfies the Eisenstein polynomial . Its derivative in characteristic is , giving different exponent , equal to from the different exponent from ramification groups.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 123 1 ii Solution 2026-10-03
The completion of a number field at a prime ideal does not change either invariant. More precisely, is the valuation ring of , its maximal ideal is , andThus the completed extension has the same ramification index and the same residue-field extension, hence the same residue-field degree . This is completion preserves ramification and residue data.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 123 1 i Solution 2026-10-03
The prime ideal factorization of iswhich defines the ramification index of a prime ideal . The residue-field degree isLocalizing at makes a free -module of rank , so has dimension over the residue field . The Chinese remainder theorem and the filtration by powers of each decompose this vector space into successive quotients isomorphic to , each of dimension . Therefore the fundamental identity for prime decomposition gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 123 3 i Solution 2026-10-03
A finite extension of non-Archimedean local fields is an unramified extension when its ramification index is one and its residue-field degree equals . Equivalently, its maximal ideal is generated by a uniformizer of and its residue-field extension is separable.
A finite extension of number fields is an everywhere unramified extension of number fields when every nonzero prime ideal of is unramified in . Under the convention that includes infinite places, one also requires every real embedding of to remain real.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 136 1 c Solution Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-03
The cyclotomic extension of a p-adic fieldhas degree , is Galois with group , and is totally ramified. Indeed, is a root of the Eisenstein polynomial
Put . Its polynomial is Eisenstein, so is totally ramified of degree . Every st root of unity lies in by the Teichmuller lifts, so every root of this polynomial lies in . Hence is also Galois.
For either , the norm has every possible valuation because the residue-field degree is one. The norm units in a tamely totally ramified extension lie in the principal units : reduction of a unit norm is the st power of its residue, hence is . Part (b) says that this unit norm subgroup has index , exactly the index of in . ConsequentlyThe uniqueness clause in the existence theorem of local class field theory now gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 136 2 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For a finite extension of local fields, let be its ramification index and its residue-field degree. An unramified extension has . A totally ramified extension has , equivalently . A tamely ramified extension has separable residue extension and ramification index coprime to the residue characteristic.
Let generate the finite extension , and let be its minimal polynomial. Lift to a monic and choose any lift of . Since finite fields are perfect fields, . The simple-root form of Hensel lemma, applied inside , gives withSet . Its residue field contains , soThe equation gives the reverse inequality. Thus , its residue-field degree is , and ; hence is unramified. Since , the extension has residue-field degree one and is totally ramified. This constructs the maximal unramified subextension of a local field extension.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 136 1 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Suppose first that is a totally ramified extension of degree , and let be a uniformizer of . If the valuation on is normalized by , then . The value group of already contains both and , so its ramification index over is at least . Hence , and therefore .
Letbe the minimal polynomial of . Every conjugate of has positive valuation, so each lies in the maximal ideal of . Moreoverwhich means . Thus is an Eisenstein polynomial.
Conversely, if is a root of an Eisenstein polynomial of degree , the Eisenstein criterion makes that polynomial irreducible and its Newton polygon gives when is normalized. Consequently ; equality with the field degree forces and residue-field degree one. Thus is totally ramified.
Residue-field extension 2026-10-03
A local homomorphism of local rings induces the residue-field extension . For an extension of non-Archimedean local fields, its degree is the residue-field degree.
Totally ramified extension Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
A finite extension of local fields is totally ramified when its residue-field degree is one, equivalently when its ramification index equals its field degree.