Class number parity of \(S_ 4\)-extensions of \(\mathbb{Q}\) and elliptic curves (Q1912296): Difference between revisions

Let \(K\) be an extension of the rational field \(\mathbb{Q}\) of degree 4 whose Galois closure has \(\text{Gal} (N/ \mathbb{Q}) \cong S_4\). Set \(\widetilde S_4 = \text{GL}_2 (\mathbb{Z}_3)\). The field \(\mathbb{N}\) is said to be prolongable if there is a quadratic extension \(\widetilde N\) of \(N\) which is Galois over \(\mathbb{Q}\) with \(\text{Gal} (\widetilde N/ \mathbb{Q}) \cong \widetilde S_4\). Let \(d_K\) denote the discriminant of \(K\) and \(K'=K (\sqrt{d_K})\). Two of the main Theorems of the article are: Let \(t\) denote the number of prime ideals of \(K\) which ramify in \(K'\). If \(N/ \mathbb{Q}\) is prolongable and \(K\) is of mixed signature then a) when \(t=0\), \(h_k'\) is odd if and only if \(h_K\) is odd; b) when \(t=1\), \(h_k'\) is odd if and only if \(h_K^+\) is odd, where \(h^+_K\) is the class number of \(K\) in the strict sense; c) when \(t=2\) the conditions are too long to state here; d) when \(t\geq 3\) the class number \(h_N\) is even. For the second theorem, let \(h_{k,n} = x^4- nx-k\). Assume the polynomial \(c(x)=x^3 + 4kx+n^2\) is irreducible over \(\mathbb{Q}\) and let \(E\) be the elliptic curve with equation \(y^2=c(x)\). Then the point \(P=(0,n) \in E(\mathbb{Q}) - 2E (\mathbb{Q})\) if and only if \(h_{k,n}\) is irreducible. In this case the splitting field of \(h_{k,n}\) is a Galois extension obtained from the curve \(E\) and the point \(P\). Its Galois group is isomorphic to \(A_4\) or \(S_4\) according as \(-256k^3-27n^4\) is a square or not.