Ideal class groups and their subgroups of real quadratic fields (Q1392615)

Theorem 1 of this article gives necessary and sufficient conditions for a real quadratic field \(\mathbb{Q} (\sqrt m)\) to have a cyclic factor of order \(n\) in its class group. Namely, this is equivalent to the equation \[ A^2-mB^2 +\pm 4^\delta C^n \] having integer solutions with \((A,B) =1\), \(\delta=0\) or 1 where \(C\) is odd when \(\delta=0\) and the equations \[ x^2-my^2= \pm 4^\delta C^j \] having no integer solutions with \(j\mid n\) and \(j<n\). These conditions lead to an ideal with norm \(C\) whose \(n\)-th power, but no smaller power is principal. The authors then apply the theory of continued fractions to give 8 different parameterizations of \(m\) (together with many subcases) such that the class group of \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt m)\) contains a cyclic factor of order \(n\). One such formula is \[ m=(\pm z^n+ t-1)^2+4t \text{ with } t\mid(z^n \mp 1),\;t>0,\;z\neq \pm 1, \] \(z\) odd and \(m\) square-free. Setting \(n=3\), \(z=5\) and \(t=31\) gives \(m= 24149\), which has class number 6. This article uses previous results of the author in [\textit{X. Zhang}, Chin. Sci. Bull. 37, 890-893 (1992; Zbl 0762.11037)].