Semi-local units modulo Gauss sums (Q1384680)

Let \(p\) be an odd prime number, \(k\) an imaginary abelian field such that (for simplicity) \(p\) does not divide the order of \(\Delta= \text{Gal} (k/ \mathbb{Q})\). Let \({\mathcal U}\) be the \(\mathbb{Z}_p [\Delta]\)-module of semi-local units (= product over all \(p\)-places of the local principal units) of \(k\), \({\mathcal C}\) the closed submodule generated by cyclotomic units. A well-known consequence of the ``Main Conjecture'' is that, for any odd \(\mathbb{Q}_p\)-character \(\psi\) of \(\Delta\), \(| {\mathcal U} (\psi)/ {\mathcal C} (\psi) |= X(\psi)/ \dot TX (\psi) |\), where \(X\) is the unramified Iwasawa \(\mathbb{Z}_p [\Delta] [[T]]\)-module attached to \(k(\mu_{p^\infty})\), and \(T \mapsto \dot T\) is the usual Iwasawa involution. Note that \(X(\psi) | \dot TX (\psi)\) is related to \(A(\psi)\), where \(A\) is the \(p\)-class group of \(k\). The natural question arises as to define a natural submodule of \({\mathcal U}\) for which a similar relation would hold for the even part \(X (\psi^*)\) or \(A (\psi^*)\), where \(\psi^*\) is the ``mirror'' character \(\psi^{-1} \omega\), \(\omega\) being the Teichmüller character. For \(k= \mathbb{Q} (\mu_p)\), \textit{K. Iwasawa} [Symp. Math. 15, 447-459 (1975; Zbl 0324.12007)] has defined a certain submodule \({\mathcal J}\) of \({\mathcal U}\) generated by Jacobi sums, and he has expressed the Vandiver conjecture (the nullity of \(A^+)\) in terms of the index of \({\mathcal I}^-\). But a Jacobi sum is a product of Gauss sums, and Iwasawa himself (p. 459) has observed that his criterion is equivalent to the statement that \({\mathcal U}^-\) is generated \(p\)-adically by Gauss sums. Following this, \textit{G. Gras} [Publ. Math. Univ. Laval 20, 3-26 (1984)] has defined (for \(k= \mathbb{Q} (\mu_p))\) a submodule \({\mathcal G}\) of \({ \mathcal U}\) generated by Gauss sums. He has shown the index formula \(| {\mathcal U} (\psi)/{\mathcal G} (\psi) |= | {\mathcal T} (\psi)/B_{1, \psi^{-1}} |\), where \(B_{1, \psi^{-1}}\) is the usual Bernoulli number and \({\mathcal T} (\psi)\) is the \(\psi\)-part of the \(\mathbb{Z}_p\)-torsion submodule of the Galois group of the maximal abelian pro-\(p\)-extension of \(k\) which is unramified outside \(p \), and he has computed \(| {\mathcal T} (\psi)|\) in terms of his ``\(p\)-adic log'' function (p. 14). Here the authors (unaware of G. Gras' paper) define, for any imaginary abelian field \(k\), a submodule \({\mathcal G}\) of \({\mathcal U}\) generated by Gauss sums. They show the index formula \(| {\mathcal U} (\psi)/{\mathcal G} (\psi) |= | {\mathcal T} (\psi)/B_{1, \psi^{-1}} |\) or 1 according as \(\psi \neq \omega\) or \(\psi= \omega\), and they express the second index in terms of \(| X'(\psi^*)/ \dot TX' (\psi^*) |\), where \(X'\) is the unramified \(p\)-decomposed Iwasawa module (note that their hypothesis that \(k\) contains \(\mu_p\) is not necessary for this last step).