\(K_ 2\) of rings of algebraic integers (Q1208162)

For a number field \(F\) and a prime number \(p\), the author studies \(K_ 2{\mathcal O}_ F\otimes\mathbb{Z}_ p\) as a module of Iwasawa descent. The paper consists of two parts: 1) Let \(G_ \infty=\text{Gal}\bigl(F(\mu_{p^ \infty})/F\bigr)\), \(U_ \infty=\) the group of units of \(F\bigl(\mu_{p^ \infty}\bigr)\), \(A_ \infty=\) the \(p\)-class group of \(F(\mu_{p^ \infty})\). If \(G_ \infty\) is procyclic, there is an exact sequence \[ 0\to K^{nd}_ 3(F)\otimes\mathbb{Q}_ p/\mathbb{Z}_ p\to\bigl(U_ \infty\otimes\mu_{p^ \infty}\bigr)^{ G_ \infty}\to K_ 2{\mathcal O}_ F\otimes \mathbb{Z}_ p\to\bigl(A_ \infty\otimes \mathbb{Z}_ p(1)\bigr)^{G_ \infty}\to 0, \] where \(K^{nd}_ 3(F)\) is the indecomposable quotient of \(K_ 3(F)\). If \(G_ \infty\) is not procyclic, similar (but more complicated) results hold. For \(p\neq 2\) and \(F\) totally real, one recovers Coates' classical isomorphism \(K_ 2{\mathcal O}_ F\otimes \mathbb{Z}_ p=\bigl(A_ \infty\otimes \mathbb{Z}_ p(1)\bigr)^{G_ \infty}\). 2) For \(n\geq 1\), the \(p^ n\)-rank of \(K_ 2{\mathcal O}_ F\) is expressed in terms of data (essentially, class-groups and units) given by the extension \(F\bigl(\mu_{p^ n}\bigr)/F\). It appears that in general, the structure of \(K_ 2{\mathcal O}_ F\otimes \mathbb{Z}_ 2\) can be very complicated if \(F\) doesn't contain sufficient 2-power roots of unity.