Cutting towers of number fields (Q2231550)

Given a number field \(K\), a prime \(p\) and a finite set \(S\) of finite places of \(K\), denote by \(K_S\) the maximal pro-\(p\) extension of \(K\) which is unramified at the places outside of \(S\). It is of interest to determine whether such an extension is infinite or not. A sufficient and practical criterion was provided by Golod and Shafarevich: if \(G_S\) is the Galois group of \(K_S/K\) and its minimal presentation \(\mathcal{P}\) has \(d\) generators and \(r\) relations, define the polynomial \(P_{\mathcal{P}}(t):= 1-dt+rt^2\). If this polynomial admits a zero in the interval \((0,1)\), then the group \(G_S\) is infinite. Whenever this procedure fails if directly applied to \(G_S\), one could look for suitable quotients of \(G_S\) and determine whether they are infinite. The authors employ this technique, defined ``cutting'', by adding further relations to the presentation of \(G_S\): these elements have a prescribed depth (in the sense of the Zassenhaus filtration of a pro-\(p\) group) and they define a quotient of \(G_S\) with a presentation \(\mathcal{P}'\) for which the corresponding Golod-Shafarevich polynomial \(P_{\mathcal{P}'}(t)\) admits a zero in \((0,1)\). In this work, the authors employ the cutting technique and obtain sufficient criteria for \(G_S\) in order to have an infinite quotient. In particular, they focus on the three following situations. \begin{itemize} \item[1)] No prime factors of \(p\) in \(K\) are contained in \(S\). In this case, the authors cut by adding Frobenius elements to the relations and derive the existence of infinite extensions with infinitely many splitting primes and asymptotically good extensions in which every prime outside of \(S\) has Frobenius of finite order. \item[2)] \(S\) contains a prime \(\mathfrak{p}\) with \(N(\mathfrak{p})\equiv 1\) mod \(p\) and \(G_S\) is cut by powers of generators of tame inertia. The authors derive in this context new records for the root discriminant of totally real and totally complex number fields, improving previous records established by the first two author and by Maire. \item[3)] \(S\) is the set of places above \(p\) and ramification is wild. Cutting by local commutators and powers of generators of inertia, the authors prove that the root discriminants in the corresponding towers are bounded. Moreover, they derive the existence of an infinite unramified tower of fields in \(K_S/K\), up to assuming a conjecture by \textit{G. Gras} [Can. J. Math. 68, No. 3, 571--624 (2016; Zbl 1351.11033)] about \(p\)-rational fields. \end{itemize}