An alternative approach to Kida and Ferrero's computations of Iwasawa \(\lambda\)-invariants (Q2017179)

Let \(p\) be a prime number and let \(k\) be a number field. Let \(K\) be the cyclotomic \({\mathbb Z}_p\)-extension of \(k\). \(K\) is called a \textit{\({\mathbb Z}_p\)-field}. If \(A_n\) denotes the \(p\)-Sylow subgroup of the class group of \(k_n\), the \(n\)-th layer of the extension \(K/k\), then, for \(n\) large enough, \(|A_n|=p^{\lambda n+\mu p^n +\gamma}\) where \(\lambda=\lambda(k)=\lambda_K\), \(\mu=\mu(k)= \mu_K\) and \(\gamma=\gamma(k)=\gamma_K\) are the Iwasawa's invariants of \(k\). It is a conjecture of Iwasawa himself that \(\mu=0\). For a finite \(p\)-extension \(l\) of \(k\), under the assumption \(\mu(k)=0\), \textit{Y. Kida} [J. Number Theory 12, 519--528 (1980; Zbl 0455.12007); J. Number Theory 14, 340--352 (1982; Zbl 0493.12015)] found a relation between \(\lambda(l)\) and \(\lambda(k)\) similar to the Riemann-Hurwitz genus formula for function fields. \textit{K. Iwasawa} [Tohoku Math. J. (2) 33, 263--288 (1981; Zbl 0468.12004)] proved, among other things, the same result using group representations. In the present paper, the author generalizes Iwasawa's result: given a cyclic extension \(L/K\) of degree \(p\) of \({\mathbb Z}_p\)-fields and assuming \(\mu_K=0\), it holds \(\mu_L=0\) and \[ \lambda_L=p\lambda_K-(p-1)\chi(G,P_L)+\sum_{\omega\nmid p} (e(\omega)-1), \] where \(\omega\) denotes a place in \(L\), \(e(\omega)\) denotes the ramification index of \(\omega\) in \(L/K\), \(P_L\) denotes the group of principal fractional ideals of \(L\), \(p^{\chi(G,P_L)}=\frac{ |H^2(G,P_L)|}{|H^1(G,P_L)|}\) and \(G\) is the Galois group \(G=\mathrm{Gal}(L/K)\). The proof is based on the fact that, up to isomorphism, there are only three indecomposable \({\mathbb Z}_p[G]\)-modules free over \({\mathbb Z}_p\), namely, \({\mathbb Z}_p\), \({\mathbb Z}_p[G]\) and \(I_G\), the augmentation ideal of \({\mathbb Z}_p[G]\). Then, using the Krull-Schmidt-Azumaya theorem and applying cohomology, the formula follows. Furthermore, it is found the structure of \(\mathrm{Hom}_{{\mathbb Z}_p}(A_L,{\mathbb Q}_p/{\mathbb Z}_p)\) as sum of indecomposable \({\mathbb Z}_p[G]\)-modules. The main result of the paper is the following: let \(p\) be a Fermat prime and let \(d>2\) be a squarefree integer such that \(\gcd(d,p)\leq 2\). Let \(k\) be the unique real subfield of \({\mathbb Q}(\zeta_{2p^2})\) such that \([k:{\mathbb Q}]=p\). Let \(K\) be the \({\mathbb Z}_2\)-cyclotomic extension of \(k\). If the class number \(h_k\) of \(k\) is odd, then \(|H^1(G,P_L)|=1\) and \(|H^2(G,P_L)|=2\), where \(L=K(\sqrt{-d})\). In particular, \(\lambda_2(k(\sqrt{-d}))=-1+|S|\) where \(S\) is the set of finite places of \(K\) not lying above \(2\) which ramify in \(L/K\). When \(p=2\), this result recovers the formula of \textit{B. Ferrero} [Am. J. Math. 102, 447--459 (1980; Zbl 0463.12002)] and \textit{Y. Kida} [Tohoku Math. J. (2) 31, 91--96 (1979; Zbl 0408.12006)] who showed that if \(d>2\) is a squarefree integer, then \(\lambda_2({\mathbb Q}(\sqrt{-d}))= -1 + \sum_{p\mid d, p\neq 2} 2^{\mathrm{ord}_2(p^2-1)-3}\).