Triviality of the 2-rank of the Hilbert kernel (Q1805366): Difference between revisions

Let \(K\) be an algebraic number field. By a well-known theorem of Matsumoto, the Milnor group \(K_ 2 (K)\) is generated by symbols \((a,b)\), \(a,b\in K\setminus \{0\}\), subject to certain relations. These relations are satisfied by the Hilbert symbols \(((a,b)/ {\mathfrak p})_{\mathfrak p}\), \({\mathfrak p}\) a place of \(K\), so that the product of all the Hilbert symbols defines a homomorphism on \(K_ 2 (K)\) whose kernel is the Hilbert or wild kernel \(H_ 2 (K)\); nontrivial elements of \(H_ 2 (K)\) correspond to exotic symbols, that is, symbols which can be detected by global class field theory but not by local class field theory. In this paper, the author gives an exhaustive list of the biquadratic fields of the forms \(\mathbb{Q} (i, \sqrt{m})\) and \(\mathbb{Q} (\sqrt{2}, \sqrt {m})\) for which the 2-rank of the Hilbert kernel is 0. For both types of fields, the results require an analysis of many subcases, which depend on the behaviour of \(m\) modulo 8 or 16. The author gives a summary of the ancillary results needed for his calculations and makes a detailed computation in one case. He also discusses the relation between the Hilbert kernel, the regular kernel and the Milnor group \(K_ 2 ({\mathcal O}_ K)\) of the ring of integers of \(K\), which leads to explicit results on the 2-rank of \(K_ 2 ({\mathcal O}_ K)\).