Local units modulo Gauss sums (Q1385261): Difference between revisions

For a number field \(k\) and a prime number \(p\), denote by \(k_\infty\) the cyclotomic \(\mathbb{Z}_p\)-extension of \(k\) with \(n\)-th layer \(k_n\), and by \(A_\infty\) the projective limit of the \(p\)-part of the ideal class group of \(k_n\) with respect to the relative norms. It is conjectured that \(A_\infty\) is finite when \(k\) is totally real. This is often called Greenberg's conjecture [\textit{R. Greenberg}, Am. J. Math. 98, 263-284 (1976; Zbl 0334.12013)]. In the paper under review, the author gives an (a conditional) interpretation of the characteristic polynomial of the so-called real-part (i.e., even-part) of \(A_\infty\) in terms of the \(p\)-adic behavior of certain Gauss sums, when \(k\) is imaginary abelian. To be more precise, let \(p\) be an odd prime number and \(k\) an imaginary abelian number field with Galois group \(\Delta=\text{Gal}(k/ \mathbb{Q})\). Assume that the order of \(\Delta\) is prime to \(p\). Then \(A_\infty\) can be split into the product of the \(\Psi\)-components \(A_\infty (\Psi)\), where \(\Psi\) runs over all irreducible \(\mathbb{Q}_p\)-characters of \(\Delta\). Greenberg's conjecture states that \(A_\infty(\Psi)\) is finite when \(\Psi\) is even. Let \({\mathcal U}\) be the projective limit of the group of semi-local units of \(k_n\) at \(p\) with respect to the relative norms. This is also split into the product of \(\Psi\)-components \({\mathcal U}(\Psi)\). The groups \(A_\infty(\Psi)\) and \({\mathcal U} (\Psi)\) are regarded as module over \(\Lambda={\mathcal O}[[T]]\), where \({\mathcal O}\) denotes the ring generated over \(\mathbb{Z}_p\) by the values of an irreducible component of \(\Psi\) over \(\overline\mathbb{Q}_p\). After recalling some preliminary facts on \(p\)-adic \(L\)-functions, \(\Lambda\)-modules, Stickelberger elements and Gauss sums, the author defines in \S 5 a \(\Lambda\)-submodule \({\mathcal G}(\Psi)\) of \({\mathcal U}(\Psi)\) constructed by norm coherent systems of certain Gauss sums, as the case may be. Then he first shows that \({\mathcal U}(\Psi)/ {\mathcal G}(\Psi)\) is finitely generated and torsion over \(\Lambda\). For a finitely generated torsion \(\Lambda\)-module \(X\), denote by \(\text{char}(X)\) its characteristic polynomial. The main theorem of this paper is that, for an ``odd'' irreducible \(\mathbb{Q}_p \)-character \(\Psi\) of \(\Delta\), \[ \text{char} (A_\infty (\Psi^*))= \text{char} ({ \mathcal U}(\Psi)/ {\mathcal G}(\Psi))^* \] if \(A_\infty(\Psi)\) is pseudo-cyclic. Here \(\Psi^*\) is the dual character of \(\Psi\) (so this is ``even'') and \(\text{char}(X)^*\) is the dual polynomial of \(\text{char}(X)\). In some special cases, similar results were already obtained (see [\textit{R. F. Coleman}, Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 17, 55-72 (1989; Zbl 0733.14012)] and [\textit{H. Ichimura} and \textit{M. Kaneko}, J. Number Theory 31, 312-334 (1989; Zbl 0686.12003)]). As the author points out, the assumption on \(A_\infty (\Psi)\) is satisfied if the power series associated to the \(p\)-adic \(L\)-function related to \(\Psi\) has no multiple roots, and further, this condition on the power series holds for all examples which are known at present. The proof of the main theorem is done by Kummer duality and Class Field Theory. The author explicitly constructs a \(p\)-ramified \(p\)-extension \(M(\Psi^*)_{i.e}\) of \(k_\infty\) whose characteristic polynomial is a dual factor \(P_i^{*e}\) of the distinguished polynomial associated to the \(p\)-adic \(L\)-function related to \(\Psi\). To get such a \(p\)-ramified \(p\)-extension, the author adjoins \(p\)-power roots of ``nice'' elements to \(k_\infty\). The ``nice'' elements are obtained by acting a polynomial \(X_n\) in \({\mathcal O}[T]\) (or \(Y_n\) in \(\mathbb{Z}[\Delta] [T])\) on certain Gauss sums, where \(X_n\) (or \(Y_n)\) is a polynomial coming from \(p\)-adic \(L\)-functions and defined uniquely modulo \(\omega_n =(1+T)^{p^n}-1\). The key point of the proof is to find out which ``nice'' elements generate the unramified part of \(M(\Psi^*)_{i.e}\). Note that the polynomials \(X_n\) and \(Y_n\) played an important role in studying Greenberg's conjecture [\textit{H. Ichimura} and \textit{H. Sumida}, Tôhoku Math. J., II. Ser. 49, No. 2, 203-215 (1997; Zbl 0886.11060); J. Math. Sci., Tokyo 3, 457-470 (1996; Zbl 0872.11044); Int. J. Math. 7, 721-744 (1996; Zbl 0881.11075)]. The main theorem of this paper is extremely analogous to a known result on a relation between the characteristic polynomial of the minus-part of \(A_\infty\) and a quotient of semi-local units modulo cyclotomic units, i.e., \(\text{char} (A_\infty (\Psi))= \text{char} ({\mathcal U}(\Psi^*)/ {\mathcal C}(\Psi^*))^*\) for an odd character \(\Psi\), where \({\mathcal C}(\Psi^*)\) is the \(\Lambda\)-submodule of \({\mathcal U}(\Psi^*)\) constructed by norm coherent systems of cyclotomic units. The author also gives a proof of it for convenience.