Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 123 2 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let and let be a primitive cube root of unity. The splitting field is . The polynomial is an Eisenstein polynomial, so . Meanwhile shows that is quadratic: is not a square because its valuation is odd. A quadratic field cannot lie in the degree-three field. Consequently , and the action on the three roots identifies its Galois group with the symmetric group .
A useful uniformizer isSince , we obtainThus is a root of the Eisenstein polynomial . Its degree is six, so , the extension is totally ramified, and is a uniformizer. With ,This is the Eisenstein sextic presentation of the splitting field of X3 minus 3 over Q3.
Let , , and let , . Then has order three, has order two, and . Their actions on the uniformizer areThe two nonidentity elements of therefore satisfyEach transposition sends to for some , so its displacement has valuation one: is a unit, reducing to modulo the maximal ideal. The uniformizer criterion for lower ramification groups now givesFor real indices, this is on , on , and for . In particular the lower breaks are and .
On the index is two; beyond three it is six. Thus the Herbrand function isThe positive lower break becomes the upper break . ThereforeThe fractional upper break is allowed because the full extension is nonabelian. As a check, the different exponent from ramification groups is . The derivative of the minimal polynomial gives the same result: . This is the case of ramification groups of the splitting field of Xp minus p over the p-adic numbers.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 123 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Normalize by and put . Write , with and . In the usual coefficient-exponent convention, the Newton polygon is the lower boundary of the convex hull of the upward vertical rays starting atIt runs from to , with nondecreasing slopes from left to right. Zero coefficients contribute no finite point. Equivalently it is the largest convex piecewise-linear function lying below all these coefficient points.
The Newton polygon root valuation theorem says that a segment of slope and horizontal length accounts for exactly roots of valuation , counted with multiplicity, using the extended valuation on an algebraic closure. The nonzero constant coefficient excludes a zero root.
For a short justification, use the weighted Gauss valuation for . It is multiplicative: after scaling by an element of valuation in a valued extension, the initial nonzero residue polynomials multiply without vanishing. Rational suffice. Factoring a monic polynomial into linear factors gives . This supporting-line function changes derivative at precisely the root valuations; its derivative drops count their multiplicities. Supporting lines to the lower polygon have slope , proving the sign and horizontal-length assertion.
Slope convention for part (b). Reflecting the horizontal axis, by plotting , produces the reflected Newton polygon convention; its slopes are the root valuations themselves. Part (b)'s wording with instead of is correct under this positive-root-valuation convention. The proof below gives both forms explicitly, so the result does not depend on silently changing the sign.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 123 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The denominator is ; dividing by removes the zero at . A uniformizer of a degree- totally ramified extension generates the field: its valuation over is , so already has ramification index at least . Hence , its minimal polynomial has degree , and its conjugates are the distinct for .
Factor the minimal polynomial over . The reduced ramification polynomial isEvery displayed root is nonzero and integral, since two uniformizers have a difference of valuation at least one. Thus is monic of degree , has nonzero constant coefficient, and belongs to . For it is the constant polynomial , with no slopes and no ramification jumps.
Here is also a justification of the uniformizer criterion for lower ramification groups in this setting. The powers are a -basis. In an expansion , the nonzero terms have valuations , distinct modulo ; therefore there is no cancellation at the least valuation. If is integral, all those values are nonnegative, which forces . Thus . For , is divisible by , with the remaining factor integral. Consequently every has valuation at least , and equality is attained at .
For a nonidentity automorphism, write . By the defining inequality for the lower ramification numbering,The Newton polygon root valuation theorem therefore proves the ramification breaks from a reduced ramification polygon relation:The segment's horizontal length is exactly . Equivalently, in the reflected Newton polygon convention required for a positive-slope formulation,All occurring root valuations are nonnegative integers. For negative indices, extend ; total ramification means that there are no negative-index jumps, so the reflected formulation remains true for all integers.
The sign distinction is substantive. Using the uniformizer from question 2, whose minimal polynomial is , givesIts coefficient valuations are , because . The usual lower hull has vertices and slopes , of lengths . These correspond exactly to the drops and . With the reflected axis the slopes are , as in the printed positive- wording. If the coefficient-exponent definition is used throughout, the printed assertion needs the minus sign shown above.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 125 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
For , the displayed integral equation has nonzero elliptic-curve discriminant modulo , so it has good reduction. Let be the Legendre symbol, with . Counting the two, one, or zero possible ordinates over each givesIf , then and the terms for and cancel. The term at zero vanishes. Thus the count is .
For the converse, suppose , and put . The Euler criterion and the sum of powers over a finite field show that the Trace of Frobenius satisfiesIndeed, among the positive exponents in this polynomial, of degree , only has a nonzero sum over , and that sum is . Since , the coefficient formula for trace of Frobenius modulo p yieldsNeither nor the binomial coefficient vanishes modulo . Hence , proving the point-count criterion for y squared equals x cubed plus k x:
We use the following formal logarithm fact, also useful for the next part. For a formal group law over , its logarithm has coefficients with , obtained by integrating its integral invariant differential. If is odd and , every term of degree has valuation strictly greater than , since . Thus the logarithm converges and is nonzero at . Its homomorphism into the additive characteristic-zero group proves torsion-freeness of the formal group over Qp for odd p. Consequently reduction injects the entire rational torsion subgroup at any odd prime of good reduction, including its -primary torsion. In particular the torsion subgroup is finite, and its order divides at every good .
By the Dirichlet theorem on primes in arithmetic progressions, choose a good prime . Then , bounding the two-primary part by four. For any odd prime dividing the torsion order, the Chinese remainder theorem and the Dirichlet theorem on primes in arithmetic progressions give a good prime with and , avoiding the finitely many primes dividing . But then , a contradiction. Therefore
The order four does occur. For , the elliptic-curve addition formula gives , so has order four. More precisely, the only nonzero rational 2-torsion point when is , so order four means a cyclic group with a rational half of this point. The duplication formula isSuch a half must have . Writing , positivity of forces . Then , so is a rational square, equivalently for an integer . Conversely is a half of when . The rational torsion on y squared equals x cubed plus positive k x is therefore cyclic of order four exactly for these , and otherwise cyclic of order two.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 125 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
For this integral Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve, computeIf an odd prime divides or , then is a unit there and is not. The j-invariant of an elliptic curve consequently has negative valuation. Since good reduction implies an integral j-invariant, such a prime cannot be a prime of good reduction, regardless of whether the displayed equation is minimal. Conversely, if it divides neither factor, this equation already has unit discriminant.
At five the good possibilities have , so . At seven they have or . Direct elliptic-curve point count over a finite field gives the following nonzero ordinates, together with the three zero-ordinate points and :At either prime, torsion-freeness of the formal group over Qp for odd p makes reduction injective on all of , so its order is at most eight. Using only prime-to- injectivity here would leave an unjustified possible -primary component.
All three nonzero 2-torsion points are rational. The rational point lies on the curve, since . For an equation the elliptic-curve addition formula givesHere , , so and has order four. The point is not in , whose only nonzero point of order two is . Therefore and generate a subgroup of order eight isomorphic to . The upper bound proves the rational torsion in the family x times x plus one times x plus m squared:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 125 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Galois cohomology and the finite division quotient. Let be a number field, with its profinite topology, and a discrete continuous -module. Its Galois cohomology is continuous group cohomology. In degrees zero and one,Thus a crossed homomorphism measures the failure of a choice to be Galois-invariant, and changing the choice changes the cocycle by a coboundary. A short exact sequence of such modules gives a long exact sequence in group cohomology. The connecting map sends an invariant element to the cocycle obtained by lifting it and comparing its Galois translates.
For an elliptic curve and , multiplication by is surjective on and has kernel . The Kummer exact sequence of an elliptic curve therefore givesExplicitly, choose and set . Replacing changes this by a coboundary; replacing by , , does not change it. If its class is zero, some torsion translate of is Galois-invariant, so . This proves injectivity of the Kummer map of an elliptic curve.
The whole group need not be finite. The crucial restriction is ramification. Let contain the finite primes of bad reduction of an elliptic curve and those dividing . At , good reduction and prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication imply that every division point of a local point is in an unramified extension, by the formal-group lifting argument. Thus every global Kummer class restricts trivially to inertia there.
Choose a finite Galois extension containing and the th roots of unity, and enlarge to include its ramified primes. Over , the torsion module is constant and can be identified with . By Kummer theory,For classes unramified outside the primes above , valuations outside must be divisible by . Their restriction images therefore lie in , the square of an S-unramified power class group. Its finiteness can be seen without assuming the Mordell-Weil theorem: the finiteness of S-unramified Kummer classes follows fromThe S-unit group is finitely generated by the Dirichlet unit theorem and its valuations at . The localized ideal class group is a quotient of the ordinary ideal class group of , which is finite by the finiteness of the ideal class group. The Minkowski bound for ideal classes supplies an integral ideal of bounded norm in each class, and only finitely many integral ideals have bounded norm.
The kernel of restriction from to is also finite: a cocycle trivial after restriction can, after subtracting a coboundary, be made to factor through the finite group . There are only finitely many maps from that group to the finite module . This is the finite-extension kernel of a Kummer map mechanism. Consequently the possible Kummer classes form a finite set, provingThis is the Weak Mordell-Weil theorem. Imposing membership in the local Kummer image at every place refines the finite unramified collection to the n-Selmer group. Its relation with the obstruction to a globally rational point iswhere the last group is the -torsion of the Tate–Shafarevich group. Thus local solubility gives a finite computable upper bound but can leave a genuine global obstruction.
Heights and finite generation. For the other essay, normalize the absolute values on a field so that the product formula holds. The Absolute logarithmic Weil height of isAt the infinite places the local degrees are one or two and the usual real or complex modulus is used. The product formula makes this independent of scaling; it is also unchanged by extending . Over , using coprime integral coordinates gives , the naive height on the projective line. The Northcott theorem says that points of bounded height and bounded field degree form a finite set; in particular this holds over the fixed field . One way to see the finiteness is the height-Mahler measure formula: for an algebraic number of degree , the coefficients of its primitive minimal integer polynomial are bounded by binomial factors times . Bounds on and therefore leave only finitely many integer polynomials and hence only finitely many algebraic numbers.
Set for , and . Since has degree two, bounded gives only finitely many points of . The height growth under a morphism of the projective line states that a degree- morphism gives . The upper bound follows from its homogeneous coordinate polynomials; the lower bound follows from their having no common zero, using a resultant identity at each place. Applied to the degree-four duplication map, it gives a uniform constant withConsequently is Cauchy: the absolute difference of consecutive terms is at most . Define the canonical height of an elliptic curve byIt is nonnegative and satisfies . The factor one-half is the conventional normalization for the divisor , since the first-coordinate height belongs to .
The addition-divisor identity also gives the bounded-error height identityuniformly in . This is the height form of the identity for the sum and difference pullbacks of the line bundle associated to ; it includes points where the affine addition formulas have a zero denominator. Apply it to , divide by , and take the limit. Thus satisfies the parallelogram law, and its polarization is a bilinear form, the height pairing. Nonnegativity implies the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality for that pairing, by evaluating its nonnegative quadratic polynomial on for all integers and approximating real ratios by rational numbers. In particularThese properties do not presuppose finite generation. Bounded canonical height gives a finite set by the bounded difference and the Northcott theorem. Torsion points have canonical height zero. Conversely, if , all have bounded naive height, so two coincide; their difference makes torsion. Thus the height detects precisely the free part, once finite generation is proved.
Use the Weak Mordell-Weil theorem with and choose finitely many coset representatives . Write , and put . The height inequality yieldsIteration enters the finite set , since after steps the height is at most . Unwinding expresses every point using that finite set and the . This proves the canonical-height proof of Mordell-Weil finite generation and henceThe Fundamental theorem of finitely generated abelian groups supplies this decomposition. The Mordell-Weil theorem combines a finite quotient from arithmetic Galois cohomology with a contracting height descent; either ingredient alone would not establish finite generation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 125 5 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Translate the rational 2-torsion point to and clear denominators to obtain the integral Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve. Nonsingularity requires and . The two-isogeny descent usesand its dual isogenyThese formulas extend across their missing affine points as degree-two isogenies of elliptic curves, with kernels on their respective curves; substitution gives and .
Define homomorphisms to the square-class group of a field byFor ordinary intersections with a line, the product of the three first coordinates is the square of its intercept, proving the homomorphism identity; tangent cases use the same product with multiplicities. For , direct addition gives , so . Also and , which handle inverse points and . These verify the exceptional values as well. Their kernels are and . One can check the first assertion directly: if , solving for the first coordinate of a preimage under giveswith rational corresponding ordinate. Conversely, on one has , a square. The exceptional point has a rational preimage exactly when is a square. The other kernel assertion follows identically, since the double companion curve is isomorphic to by scaling its coordinates by four and eight.
We now justify the rank factor in the square-class index formula for two-isogeny descent, rather than forgetting a torsion correction. Put , , andThe preimage of under is , soThe Mordell-Weil theorem gives , where is the rank of an abelian group of . If is a square, and , so . If it is not a square, and . Hence in both cases, and
To bound these two images, let and take a point with . If , then is a unit, so is even. If , the leading term uniquely has least valuation in the equation, so and again is even. Thus every image class has a signed square-free integer representative supported on the prime divisors of . The exceptional class also has that property. There are at most such classes. Applying the same reasoning to gives . The prime-support bound in two-isogeny descent is thereforeHere counts the distinct prime divisors of the absolute value of a nonzero integer; . The nonsingularity hypotheses exclude the otherwise undefined case .
For the unheaded practical procedure, enumerate signed square-free divisors of , and of on the companion curve. A class is represented by a point of exactly when its quartic covering in a two-isogeny descenthas a rational solution with . For , reconstruct , ; substitution verifies the equivalence. Solutions with or account for the identity class or the class of respectively. Clearing denominators allows integral with .
Test these finitely many coverings over the real numbers and local fields, especially at two and the primes dividing , to exclude impossible classes. Search the survivors for rational points, close the witnessed classes under multiplication, and use the index formula once both images are determined. Equivalently, local solubility gives a descent upper bound and independent rational points, certified for example by their canonical height of an elliptic curve pairing, give a lower bound. When the bounds coincide the rank is determined. This procedure often succeeds, but local solubility alone does not prove global solubility: a nonzero Tate–Shafarevich group can leave surviving coverings without rational points. In that case the computation gives a rigorous bound rather than a falsely certified exact rank.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 136 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
A suitable version of the Hensel lemma is this: if is a complete discrete valuation ring, , and is a root of with , there is a unique reducing to with . Starting with any lift, Newton iteration over a valued field keeps the derivative a unit and doubles the error valuation, giving convergence. Uniqueness follows by factoring when two roots have the same residue.
The field in the rest of this question is not assumed complete, so that version cannot simply be applied to it. Instead use the stated uniqueness of the extension of an absolute value. Let be any two roots of a polynomial , which is irreducible. The field embedding sending to identifies with . Pulling the latter field's absolute value back gives an extension on , which must coincide with the given one. More generally, for every ,This proves equal absolute values of algebraic conjugates without assuming separability or a transitive action of a Galois group; repeated roots cause no difficulty.
Every root of the monic has absolute value at most one. Indeed, if , then each lower term satisfies . The ultrametric inequality makes the leading term dominate their sum, contradicting . Thus
All roots lie in the valuation ring , so their residues are defined in the residue field . Let be the monic minimal polynomial of an algebraic element of ; this residue is algebraic because it satisfies the monic . Choose a coefficientwise lift . Then , and the conjugacy argument gives for every . Hence every is a root of .
Reduction of the splitting-field factorization, with multiplicities, givesEvery monic irreducible factor of over has a root among these residues. That root also satisfies , so its minimal polynomial is . Unique factorization therefore proves the pure-power reduction of a monic irreducible polynomial:This does not assert that is separable or that the reduction is square-free.
Finally, factor the monic over as with distinct monic irreducible polynomials . The same leading-term argument bounds every root of by one. Coefficients of any are elementary symmetric polynomials in some of these roots, so they lie in . By the preceding result each is a power of a single monic irreducible residue polynomial .
Since the prescribed are coprime, every occurs on exactly one side. Assign the entire factor to that side and form the two products. Comparing irreducible-factor multiplicities in the reduction proves the coprime factor lifting from valuation-extension uniqueness:Empty products are one, covering constant prescribed factors. The construction proves the required factor-lifting form of the Hensel lemma directly from extension uniqueness, without adding completeness as an unstated hypothesis.
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 2017 iii Paper 136 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Fix a non-Archimedean local field , its valuation ring , a uniformizer , and a residue field with cardinality . The construction below applies both in mixed and equal characteristic. A one-dimensional commutative formal group law is with identity, associativity and commutativity, and higher-degree terms. It has a unique formal inverse. Its morphisms are series with ; a unit linear coefficient makes such a morphism invertible by recursive coefficient comparison. Evaluating its integral series on the maximal ideal of a finite extension of is legitimate because the series converge there.
Choose a Lubin–Tate series satisfyingA useful choice is . The Lubin–Tate functional equation lemma constructs a unique series with any prescribed linear form and satisfyingHere is its coefficient argument. If terms below degree have been found, the unknown homogeneous degree- term appears with multiplier . The already known error has every coefficient divisible by : after reduction, the equation becomes , valid because the residue coefficients lie in . Since is times a unit for , the next term is uniquely determined and integral. Recursion proves existence and uniqueness.
Use to construct , and to construct for every . Uniqueness gives and . Comparing with , which satisfy the same functional equation and have the same linear form, proves that is an endomorphism of the law. The same uniqueness applied to three variables proves associativity: and have the same linear form and functional equation. It also proves commutativity and the identitiesThus this Lubin–Tate formal group is equipped with an action of the whole ring , not only its integers. For a unit , the inverse of is . The same recursion, with two series for the fixed , gives a unique strict Lubin–Tate change of series. Its integral series and inverse converge on torsion points, so it identifies their torsion fields. We may compute with without losing the general construction for that uniformizer.
Write and . The Lubin–Tate torsion of level isFor , its primitive points are the roots ofThis is a monic polynomial of degree . Modulo it is , and its constant coefficient is exactly . Thus the Eisenstein layers of Lubin–Tate torsion are Eisenstein polynomials. A root generates a totally ramified extension of degree , and has in the uniquely extended valuation. Also , so it has exact level .
The mapis well-defined and injective. If with and a unit, then , because is invertible and is primitive. Conversely every multiple of kills it. The image therefore contains distinct roots of the degree- polynomial , so it is all of . This proves, without merely assuming the torsion cardinality,Its primitive generators are exactly with .
Define the Lubin–Tate extension . Every integral endomorphism series evaluated at converges in the complete field , so all torsion points already lie there. HenceIt is the splitting field of , which has distinct roots by the module calculation. Thus it is Galois. Every K-automorphism preserves the uniquely extended absolute value on a field, hence is continuous and commutes with limits of the integral endomorphism series. Its automorphisms therefore commute with the endomorphism action and send a primitive generator to a primitive generator. There is a unique unit class such that . The Lubin–Tate Galois action on primitive torsion gives an injective homomorphismBoth sides have order , so it is an isomorphism. In particular every finite layer is abelian and totally ramified.
For an example, take , , and the equally admissible series . Its formal group law is the formal multiplicative group , with for . The binomial polynomials make its coefficients integral. Its level- torsion points are with . Thus the Lubin–Tate cyclotomic example gives and Galois action . The order formula includes , when the first field and its Galois group are trivial over .
Finally choose primitive points compatibly, . They exist by taking a root of in the algebraic closure; its roots have positive valuation and exact level . Then , and restriction of Galois automorphisms corresponds to reduction of unit classes. The Lubin–Tate tower consequently has the topological Galois groupThe final isomorphism uses completeness of the discrete valuation ring . This computes the finite-layer and infinite-tower Galois groups directly from the formal action and the primitive Eisenstein polynomials.
Prime-support bound in two-isogeny descent Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
For integral with , every square class in the image of the two-isogeny descent map on has a signed square-free representative supported on primes dividing . At a prime not dividing , a positive valuation of must be even from the curve equation; a negative valuation is even because the cubic leading term determines . Thus its image has at most elements. Apply this also to the two-isogenous curve and use the square-class index formula for two-isogeny descent to obtain , where counts distinct prime divisors of the nonzero absolute value.
A valuation ring for a nontrivial real-valued rank-one valuation is a principal ideal domain exactly when its value group is discrete. A least positive value makes the value group cyclic and lets every nonzero ideal be generated by an element of smallest valuation. Conversely, if the maximal ideal is principal, its generator has the least positive value. Nontriviality matters: a field with the trivial valuation is a principal ideal domain, but not a discrete valuation ring in the usual nontrivial convention.
Ramification break of an Artin–Schreier pole Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
Let be an equal-characteristic-p local field and let have , with . If , the Artin–Schreier extension has degree and is totally ramified: a root in would force the pole order to be divisible by , and forces . Choose and an integer with . For a base uniformizer , the element has valuation one. Under , , the leading term in has valuation . The uniformizer criterion for lower ramification groups therefore gives the single lower break . The Herbrand function is the identity up to that break, so the upper break is also .
Suppose in a number field and lies above . Its normalized integral valuation satisfies . If and are coprime, then . In a degree- field the fundamental identity for prime decomposition forces a unique prime, ramification index , and residue degree one. This detects total ramification of a prime even when the displayed defining polynomial is not Eisenstein at .
// Target: algebra.bigb
For , the shifted polynomial is Eisenstein and is a uniformizer. The three nonidentity automorphisms have displacement valuations two, four and two. Thus the lower breaks are one and three, the upper breaks one and two, and the different exponent from ramification groups is eight.
For with , the shifted cubic for and quadratic for are Eisenstein. Their compositum is totally ramified of degree six. The element has valuation one. Order-three automorphisms move it with valuation two and transpositions with valuation one. The lower breaks are zero and one, the upper breaks zero and one-half, and the different exponent from ramification groups is seven.
Ramification groups of the splitting field of Xp minus p over the p-adic numbers Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-14
To verify the filtration, write and . The Eisenstein polynomials for and give coprime degrees and , so their compositum has degree . Its element has -adic valuation , forcing total ramification. For an automorphism with and ,Its residue is , so the normalized displacement valuation is one if . If and , that valuation is . The uniformizer criterion for lower ramification groups now gives every group displayed above.
Ramification index of a morphism of curves Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-14
For a nonconstant morphism between nonsingular curves and a local target uniformizer at the image of , the index is the order of vanishing of its pullback. Changing multiplies it by a local unit in a ring and does not change that order. This is a valuation definition and remains meaningful for inseparable morphisms.
For an odd prime , this Eisenstein polynomial generates a totally ramified cubic root field. Its discriminant is . For the unit part is a square exactly when . The splitting field then has cyclic Galois group of order three; otherwise it has symmetric group , with an unramified extension of degree two and inertia group . Both cases are tamely ramified, so all positive ramification groups are trivial.
At , adjoining gives a ramified quadratic subfield, and the splitting field has total ramification index six. A root has normalized valuation two, while has valuation three, so is a uniformizer. The derivative has valuation six, and all distinct root differences have valuation three. A three-cycle fixes , giving . A transposition fixing negates , giving valuation one; conjugation handles the other transpositions. Hence , , and for . The different exponent is seven.
Ramification polynomial 2026-10-06
The ramification polynomial records the normalised differences of conjugates of a uniformizer, including the zero difference from the identity automorphism. Its quotient by is the reduced ramification polynomial. In the usual coefficient-index convention, the finite slopes of its lower Newton polygon are negatives of the valuations of its nonzero roots; the coefficient at the zero root is treated as having infinite valuation.
