Eigenspaces of the ideal class group (Q486836)

The aim of this article is to prove an analog of the Gras' conjecture [\textit{G. Gras}, Ann. Inst. Fourier 27, No. 1, 1--66 (1977; Zbl 0336.12004)] for an abelian field \(F\) and an odd prime \(p\) dividing the absolute degree of \(F\) assuming that the \(p\)-part of the Galois group of the extension \(F/\mathbb Q\) is cyclic. Definitions: Let \(p\) be a fixed odd prime number. Let \(L\not=\mathbb Q\) be a real abelian field such that the exponent of \(H=\mathrm{Gal}(L/\mathbb Q)\) is a divisor of \(p-1\). Let \(K\) be a cyclic field of absolute degree \(p^u\), for \(u\) a positive integer, assuming there is not both tame and wild ramification in \(K/\mathbb Q\). Let \(K'\) be the subfield of \(K\) satisfying \([K:K']=p\). Let \(C_F\) and \(C_{F'}\) be the \(p\)-parts of the ideal class group of \(F=KL\) and \(F'=K'L\) respectively. Let \(E_R\) and \(\mathrm{Cyc}_R\) be the group of units and the \textit{Sinnott group of circular units} of an abelian field \(R\) [\textit{W. Sinnott}, Invent. Math. 62, 181--234 (1980; Zbl 0465.12001)], respectively. Let \(\chi\) be a nontrivial Dirichlet character of \(L\) and \(e_\chi:=\frac{1}{|H|}\sum_{\tau\in H}\chi(\tau)\tau^{-1}\in\mathbb Z_p[H]\) be the idempotent corresponding to \(\chi\). Results: The authors prove the following. Theorem. We have \[ |e_\chi C_F|=|e_\chi C_{F'}|\cdot |((E_F/\mathrm{Cyc}_FE_{F'})\otimes \mathbb Z_p)^{e_\chi}|= |((E_F/\mathrm{Cyc}_F)\otimes \mathbb Z_p)^{e_\chi}|. \] For \(j=1,\dots,u,\) let \(F^{(j)}\) be the subfield of \(F\) satisfying \([F:F^{(j)}]=p^j\). Corollary. Let \(\Gamma:=\mathrm{Gal}(F/L)\). We have \[ \mathrm{Ann}_{\mathbb Z_p[\Gamma]}((E_L/\mathrm{Cyc}_L)\otimes \mathbb Z_p)^{e_\chi}\cdot\prod_{j=0}^{u-1} \mathrm{Ann}_{\mathbb Z_p[\Gamma]}((E_{F^{(j)}}/\mathrm{Cyc}_{F^{(j)}} E_{F^{(j+1)}})\otimes \mathbb Z_p)^{e_\chi} \subseteq \mathrm{Ann}_{\mathbb Z_p[\Gamma]}(e_\chi C_F)). \] Corollary. Assume that \(u=1\), so \(F'=L\). Then \[ (1-\sigma)\cdot \mathrm{Ann}_{\mathbb Z_p[G]}((E_F/\mathrm{Cyc}_F E_L)\otimes \mathbb Z_p)\subseteq \mathrm{Ann}_{\mathbb Z_p[G]}(C_F), \] where \(\sigma\) is a generator of \(\Gamma=\mathrm{Gal}(F/L)\) and \(G=\mathrm{Gal}(F/\mathbb Q)\). This paper is an attempt to make the \textit{Euler system} machinery work in a non semi-simple situation. The results are not on the class group of \(F\) and the quotient of units modulo circular units directly, but they use relative groups: the object for \(F\) modulo the image of the corresponding object \(F'\) attached to the subfield \(F\) are such that \([F:F']=p\). The authors extract certain roots from circular units and show that these roots still can be fed into the Euler-Kolyvagin machinery, see \textit{K. Büyükboduk} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 631, 85--107 (2009; Zbl 1216.11102)]. The Gras' conjecture see [Zbl 0336.12004] relates the \(p\)-parts of the Galois eigenspaces of an ideal class group to the group of global units modulo cyclotomic units. It was proved by \textit{B. Mazur} and \textit{A. Wiles} [Invent. Math. 76, 179--330 (1984; Zbl 0545.12005)] as a corollary of their work on the main conjecture of Iwasawa theory. The authors use in this paper a corollary of the Gras' conjecture which \textit{R. Greenberg} [Nagoya Math. J. 67, 139--158 (1977; Zbl 0373.12007)] proved to be a consequence of the \textit{Main conjecture}.