Class number restrictions for certain \(\ell\)-extensions of imaginary quadratic fields (Q1108321): Difference between revisions

Let \(\ell\) be a rational prime. \textit{A. Fröhlich} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 29, 211-217 (1954; Zbl 0055.03302) and in the book ``Central extension, Galois groups, and ideal class groups of number fields'', Contemp. Math. 24 (1983; Zbl 0519.12001)]) determined the finite abelian \(\ell\)- extensions of \(\mathbb Q\) the narrow class number of which is relatively prime to \(\ell\). In this paper the authors obtain the corresponding result for finite abelian \(\ell\)-extensions of an imaginary quadratic field. Let \(K\) be an imaginary quadratic field and let \(\ell\) be a rational prime such that \(\ell\) is relatively prime to \(h_ K| E_ K|\), where \(h_ K\) and \(| E_ K|\) denote the class number of \(K\) and the order of the group of units in \(K\), respectively. Let \(L\) be a finite abelian \(\ell\)-extension of \(K\) and assume \(L\) coincides with the genus field of \(L/K\). Then \((\ell,h_ L)=1\) if and only if \(\text{cokernel}(\coprod_{v}\bigwedge^ 2D_ v\to \bigwedge^ 2\text{Gal}(L/K))=0\), where \(D_ v\) denotes the decomposition group of a prime \(v\) of \(K\) ramified in \(L\). From this result the authors deduce a criterion for determining whether \(\ell\) divides \(h_ L\) or not. This criterion gives an analogue to the result of Fröhlich, while the approach is more direct than Fröhlich's approach.