Fiercely ramified cyclic extensions of \(p\)-adic fields with imperfect residue field (Q2248949)

Let \(K\) be a field of characteristic 0 which is complete with respect to a discrete valuation, with residue field \(\overline{K}\) of characteristic \(p\). Assume that \([\overline{K}:\overline{K}^p]=p\), and that \(\overline{K}\) has at least one cyclic extension of degree \(p\); these conditions are satisfied for instance if \(K\) is a two-dimensional local field. Let \(L/K\) be a cyclic extension of degree \(p^n\) which is ``fiercely ramified''; thus the ramification index of \(L/K\) is 1, and the residue field extension \(\overline{L}/\overline{K}\) induced by \(L/K\) is inseparable of degree \(p^n\). Let \(v_p\) denote the valuation on \(L\) normalized so that \(v_p(p)=1\), and let \({\mathcal O}_L\) be the ring of integers of \(L\). For \(\sigma\in G=\mathrm{Gal}(L/K)\), \(\sigma\not=\mathrm{id}_G\), define \(i(\sigma)=\min\{v_p(\sigma(a)-a):a\in{\mathcal O}_L\}\). The lower and upper ramification subgroups of \(G\) can be defined as usual using \(i\), so we get lower and upper ramification breaks for \(L/K\). In addition, \textit{K. Kato} [Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 12, 315--342 (1987; Zbl 0658.12016)] associated a differential form \(\omega_i\in\Omega_{\overline{K}}^1\) to each upper ramification break \(\delta_i\) of \(L/K\). In this paper the author gives necessary conditions for the ramification data \(\{(\delta_i,\omega_i):1\leq i\leq n\}\) to arise from some extension \(L/K\) of the type described above. He also shows that for any sequence of ramification data satisfying these conditions there is a finite (``constant'') extension \(K'/K\) and a cyclic fiercely ramified extension \(L'/K'\) of degree \(p^n\) with the specified ramification data. The proofs make use of Kummer theory, after passing to an extension of \(K\) which contains sufficient roots of unity. This paper may be viewed as extending a theorem of \textit{H. Miki} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 328, 99--115 (1981; Zbl 0457.12005)] which gives a similar characterization for the possible upper ramification sequences of a totally ramified cyclic extension of local fields in characteristic 0 with finite residue fields.