Pure-power reduction of a monic irreducible polynomial Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
Suppose a Non-Archimedean absolute value extends uniquely to every finite extension. If is monic and irreducible, every root has absolute value at most one: otherwise its leading power dominates all lower terms, contradicting by the ultrametric inequality. In a splitting field, let be the minimal polynomial of an algebraic element of the residue of one root. Lift its coefficients to . The lift has absolute value less than one at that root and hence, by equal absolute values of algebraic conjugates, at every root. Consequently every root residue is a zero of . Since reduction preserves the product of the linear factors with multiplicities, every irreducible factor of is , proving the displayed identity for some .
Suppose an irreducible monic integral cubic has discriminant for a prime , and let be its splitting field. Its Galois group is and its quadratic subfield is . The extension over that subfield is cyclic cubic and everywhere unramified. Away from , separable reduction and Hensel lemma put the roots in an unramified local extension. At , discriminant valuation one gives a double residue root and a separate simple root; lift the simple root, and the remaining quadratic's discriminant has square class . Its splitting field is already the quadratic subfield's completion. The imaginary quadratic base has no real places.