On 2-class field towers of some imaginary quadratic number fields (Q1378249): Difference between revisions

Let \(k\) be an imaginary quadratic number field, and let \(Cl_2(k)\) denote the 2-class group of \(k\). It is known that if rank \(Cl_2 (k)\geq 5\), then the 2-class field tower of \(k\) is infinite. Recently, \textit{F. Hajir} [Pac. J. Math. 176, 15-18 (1996; Zbl 0879.11066)] proved that the 2-class field tower of \(k\) is infinite if \(Cl_2(k)\) contains \((\mathbb{Z}/4\mathbb{Z})^3\). On the other hand, it is well known that the 2-class field tower of \(k\) is finite if rank \(Cl_2(k)=1\), or \(Cl_2(k)\simeq(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z})^2\). In this paper the author proves that there are infinitely many quadratic imaginary fields \(k\) with \(Cl_2(k)\simeq(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z})^3\) such that the 2-class field tower of \(k\) is finite. In fact the author proves the following: Let \(k=\mathbb{Q} (\sqrt d)\) be an imaginary quadratic field with discriminant \(d=-4pqq'\), where \(p\equiv 5\bmod 8\), and \(q\equiv 3\bmod 8\), and \(q'\equiv 7\bmod 8\) are primes such that \((q/p) =(q'/p)=-1\) (Legendre symbol). Then \(Cl_2(k)\simeq (\mathbb{Z}/2 \mathbb{Z})^3\) and the 2-class field tower of \(k\) stops at the second step, i.e, the class number of the second Hilbert 2-class field of \(k\) is odd. The proof consists of a detailed study of class groups and unit groups of biquadratic subfields of \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-1},\sqrt p,\sqrt q,\sqrt{q'})\). As the smallest example in the above, the case \(k=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-420})\) is also studied in more detail.