Fundamental unit (number theory) 2026-10-05
In a real quadratic number field, a fundamental unit generates the infinite cyclic factor of its unit group, so every unit is . Existence follows from the Dirichlet unit theorem; choosing the positive generator of the rank-one logarithmic lattice gives this normalization.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 ib Paper 3 2F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 ii Paper 2 18F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 21 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
The idele group is the multiplicative restricted productIts restricted product topology has basic open sets , where is finite and contains every infinite place, and is open in . In particular, the restriction to almost all local unit groups is part of the topology, not merely the unrestricted product topology.
The diagonal map is injective and well-defined by finite support of the principal ideal's valuations; its image consists of principal ideles. To prove discreteness of principal ideles, take the neighbourhood of which requires at every finite place and in the ordinary real or complex modulus at every infinite place. A diagonal element in it is a global unit, so . If , the nonzero integer has absolute value at least one, but the archimedean bounds make its absolute value less than . This contradiction proves is a discrete subgroup of .
For a modulus of a number field, write for its finite ideal part together with any selected real places. Let be the group of fractional ideals coprime to the finite part. Let consist of principal ideals with locally at each finite place in the modulus, and at each selected real place. The ray class group isEquivalently it is the quotient , with the corresponding principal-unit factors at finite places and positive multiplicative factors at selected real places. The question now assumes that no infinite places occur.
Put . Global units map to by reduction. To map to the ray class group, choose, by the Chinese remainder theorem, an integral having the prescribed unit residues at all , and send the tuple to the ray class of . A different choice changes the ratio by an element congruent to one at every such place, so the map is well-defined and multiplicative.
The forgetful map to the ordinary ideal class group is surjective: weak approximation for number fields multiplies an ideal by a principal ideal so that all its valuations in vanish. Its kernel consists exactly of classes represented by principal ideals coprime to , and their generators supply the local unit residues. Finally, a residue tuple maps to the identity ray class precisely when its chosen differs from a congruence-one generator by a global unit. Thus the ray class exact sequence isThe leftmost arrow need not be injective, explaining the absence of an initial zero.
For , the ring of integers of Q of square root two is . Its absolute field norm is a Euclidean function. Indeed, for , choose nearest integers ; writing , , both bounded by , gives . Applying this to a quotient proves Euclidean division, hence the ring is a principal ideal domain and . This is norm-Euclideanity of the integers adjoined square root two.
Write and . Their ideal norms are and , respectively; and the residue field at is , with because . The finite local quotient product for the requested modulus isThe first factor consists of and .
The given fundamental unit and generate the global units. Their images areThe first image has order six; its cube is and its square is , generating the first factor and the order-three subgroup of the second. The second image supplies the missing order-two element of . Thus the global unit map is surjective onto all local unit residues. By the exact sequence, or the unit-surjectivity criterion for a trivial finite ray class group,There is no positivity condition here: the modulus has no infinite part, so using the unit is legitimate and essential in the surjectivity calculation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 28 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Here a divisor is a modulus of a number field, rather than an arbitrary real-weighted divisor. Writewhere is a nonzero integral ideal, the finite multiplicities are nonnegative integers, and is a set of real Archimedean places. The multiplicity of a place in a modulus is at the finite place corresponding to , is at a real place in , and is at every other infinite place. In particular complex places have multiplicity .
Let be the group of nonzero fractional ideals prime to . PutLet consist of the principal ideals with . The generalized ideal class group is the ray class groupLet be the unit group, let be the group of ray units, and define the residue and signature group of a modulusThe first factor is omitted when . There is a group homomorphism recording the unit's finite residues and its signs. Its kernel is .
Let consist of all principal fractional ideals prime to , and put . The two short exact sequences areandFor the first short exact sequence, weak approximation for number fields realizes every choice of finite unit residues and real signs by some prime to . Send that data to the class of in . Changing without changing its residues and signs multiplies it by an element of , so the map is well-defined. Its kernel consists exactly of data arising from units: if with , then . This gives . For the second short exact sequence, forget the ray conditions. Its kernel is , and weak approximation for number fields gives a representative prime to for every ideal class. These are the two parts of the ray class exact sequence.
For , the ring of integers of a quadratic field is . The finite modulus is trivial and both real places occur, so is the narrow ideal class group and . The two field embeddings send to and . The given unit is positive at both places, since ; the unit is negative at both. Thus the unit signature map has imageThe given ideal class group has order . The second short exact sequence therefore givesTo determine the group structure, retain the ideal that generates the ordinary ideal class group. We have : all generators , and lie in , whileputs in . Since is totally positive, in the narrow ideal class group. Its image in the ordinary ideal class group is nontrivial, so has order exactly .
The class of the principal ideal is a nontrivial element of . Its two signs are , and multiplying by a unit can only reverse both signs or neither, so no generator of this ideal is totally positive. Its square is , which does have a totally positive generator. Thus is another element of order , distinct from because its ordinary ideal class is trivial. These two elements are independent and generate all four classes. ConsequentlyThe nontrivial ordinary ideal class already has a lift of order , so the extension in the second short exact sequence splits; it cannot be cyclic of order .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 1G Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
An Euler pseudoprime is an odd composite number with satisfying , where the right side is the Jacobi symbol. A weaker convention requires only ; it is distinguished below. A strong pseudoprime, with and odd, satisfies or for some .
By the Chinese remainder theorem for unit groups, the unit group modulo is . Modulo , . Thus the only possible sign in is positive. Modulo , writing for a primitive root, the condition is , equivalently . Consequently has multiplicative order dividing in each factor. Its square is either or in each factor, but these signs must agree: modulo , the Legendre symbol is for square and for square , and the same is true modulo . The Euler pseudoprime condition additionally requires the product of those Legendre symbols to be . HenceEach sign has two roots modulo each prime, hence four roots modulo . There are eight pseudoprime bases modulo under the Jacobi symbol convention. Under the weaker sign-only convention there are instead sixteen pseudoprime bases, since the two signs of the squares need not agree; the stated equivalence therefore specifically uses the Jacobi symbol convention.
For the strong pseudoprime condition, . Since the unit group has exponent of a finite group , the only possibilities are or . The six pseudoprime bases are . For example , while has but . Thus the strong-pseudoprime pseudoprime bases are not a subgroup.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 3 1H Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Let be the unit group of residue classes modulo , and partition it into the set of bases satisfying the displayed congruence and the set of Euler witnesses that do not. If , multiplication by maps injectively into : indeed, if and also lay in , then the multiplicativity of the Jacobi symbol would giveCancelling the invertible congruence for would say that , a contradiction. Hence , so at least half of the coprime bases are witnesses.
It remains to construct one witness for every odd composite number . If is not squarefree, choose an odd prime number with . The Chinese remainder theorem gives a unit such that for the full power and modulo every other prime-power factor. The binomial theorem givesSince , this is neither nor modulo , whereas the Jacobi symbol is always or . Thus is a witness.
If is squarefree and composite, choose distinct primes . By the Chinese remainder theorem, choose to be a quadratic nonresidue modulo and to satisfy modulo every other prime divisor of . Then , while , so the Euler congruence again fails. This proves the existence of an Euler witness for every odd composite integer.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 151 3 Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For , the square-zero ideal condition givesThus the square-zero unit subgroup is abelian, andis a group isomorphism from the additive group of .
Use the specified ring isomorphism . For , choose a lift and define for . Two lifts differ by an element of , whose product with vanishes, so this is well defined. Right multiplication is handled identically. The two actions commute by associativity, making a bimodule. If lifts , then is a unit: a lift of makes both and elements of , hence units, and a ring element with both a left and a right inverse is invertible. Conjugation therefore definesChanging by an element of does not change this expression because . Moreover,so is an isomorphism of -modules for these conjugation actions.
Let be reduction on unit groups, and define as the inverse image of the distinguished subgroup . Every has a unit lift by the preceding argument, and the kernel consists exactly of the units congruent to , namely . Multiplication in therefore gives the group extensionChoose a set-theoretic section with . Its extension cocyclesatisfies the two-cocycle identity by associativity. A different section changes by a group coboundary, so second group cohomology classifies group extensions gives a well-defined classThe same construction for gives , an extension cocycle , and .
The answer to the final question is no. An abstract ring isomorphism need not carry the distinguished ideal to , need not induce the identity under the two chosen identifications of the quotient rings with , and need not induce the prescribed -module isomorphism . Hence it need not give an isomorphism of the two displayed group extensions, so it imposes no equality . That equality does hold if the ring isomorphism has all three compatibility properties, because it then carries one extension cocycle to the other up to a group coboundary.
Ray unit 2026-10-06
A ray unit for a modulus of a number field is a unit congruent to one modulo every finite prime power in the modulus and positive at every real place in it. The group of ray units is the kernel of the unit group map to the residue and signature group of a modulus.
Residue and signature group of a modulus Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-07
This group records finite unit residues and signs at the selected real places of a modulus of a number field. Omit the residue factor for trivial finite modulus. Its quotient by the image of the unit group is naturally the kernel of the map from the ray class group to the ordinary ideal class group. The weak approximation for number fields theorem supplies elements realizing the specified data, and units account for changing a generator of a principal fractional ideal.
Square-zero unit subgroup Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
If , then is an abelian subgroup of the unit group. Multiplication satisfies , and , so identifies the additive group of with .