A family of quintic cyclic fields with even class number parameterized by rational points on an elliptic curve (Q1035585): Difference between revisions

\textit{Historical context}: \textit{T. Nagell} [Hamb. Abh. 1, 140--150 (1922; JFM 48.0170.03)] proved in 1922 that there exist infinitely many imaginary quadratic fields with class number divisible by any given integer greater than \(1\). In the 1970's, the analogue for real quadratic fields was shown by \textit{Y. Yamamoto} [Osaka J. Math. 7, 57--76 (1970; Zbl 0222.12003)] and \textit{P. J. Weinberger} [J. Number Theory 5, 237--241 (1973; Zbl 0287.12007)], and also for cubic cyclic fields by \textit{K. Uchida} [ J. Math. Soc. Japan 26, 447--453 (1974; Zbl 0281.12007)]. These results were extended in the 1980's to number fields of arbitrary degree by \textit{T. Azuhata} and \textit{H. Ichimura} [J. Fac. Sci., Univ. Tokyo, Sect. I A 30, 579--585 (1984; Zbl 0532.12006)] and \textit{S. Nakano} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 358, 61--75 (1985; Zbl 0559.12004)]. {The results}: In this paper, the author investigates the class numbers of the quintic cyclic fields. He proves: Theorem. There exist infinitely many quintic fields with even class number. Corollary. There exist infinitely many quintic cyclic fields whose ideal class group has \(2\)-rank at least \(4\). To construct quintic cyclic fields, the author starts from the polynomial introduced by \textit{E.~Lehmer} [Math. Comput. 50, No. 182, 535--541 (1988; Zbl 0652.12004)]. \[ \begin{split} & f(T,X)=X^5+T^2X^4-2(T^3+3T^2+5T+5)X^3+(T^4+5T^3+11T^2+15T+5)X^2\\ & +(T^3+4T^2+10T+10)X+1, \end{split} \] to construct quintic cyclic fields each having an unramified quadratic extension. He shows that such fields can be constructed from suitably chosen solutions of the diophantine equation \(U^2=f(T,X)\). In Section 1 of the paper, the author considers this equation as an elliptic surface, he picks up an elliptic curve over \(\mathbb Q\) in its fibers and defines a family of quintic cyclic fields parameterized by rational points on this elliptic curve. In Section 2, he verifies the unramifiedness at every prime for these quadratic extensions and, in Section 3, he uses the Chebotarev density theorem to prove that the family contains infinitely many quintic cyclic fields. The proofs rely on classical algebraic number theory and elliptic curves theory.