On the structure of order 4 class groups of \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{n^2+1})\) (Q2022914)

The aim of this paper is to study the ideal class group of \(\mathbb Q(\sqrt{n^2+1})\), when \(n\) varies over positive integers, under the assumptions that \(n^2+1\) is square-free and the class number of \(\mathbb Q(\sqrt{n^2+1})\) is \(4\). The authors give a complete classification of when the ideal class group is isomorphic to \(\mathbb Z/4\mathbb Z\) or \(\mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z\times \mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z\), depending on the congruence of \(n^2+1\) modulo \(8\) and the factorisation of \(n\). The main ingredient in the proof involves the computation of the Dedekind zeta-function \(\zeta_{\mathbb Q(\sqrt{n^2+1})}\) at \(-1\); explicit formulas for \(\zeta_{\mathbb Q(\sqrt{n^2+1})}(-1)\) are also included in the main theorems.