Arithmetic properties encoded in the Galois module structure of \(K^\times / K^{\times p^m}\) (Q2079505)

In this paper, the three authors continue their long-standing research into the Galois modular structure of \(J_m:=K^\times /K^{\times p^m}\), where \(K\) is a field of characteristic not \(p\). It turns out that \(J\) is a direct sum, such that all but possibly one summand are free modules. Assuming that \(K\) contains a primitive \(p\)th root of unity (and some additional mild hypotheses in the case \(p = 2\)), such an ``exceptional summand'' exists. Its isomorphism type is determined by a vector \(\textbf{a}\in\{-\infty,0,\dots,n\}^m\) and a natural number \(d\in\mathbb N\). The authors find some field-theoretic explanations for the quantities \(\textbf{a}\) and \(d\) from this decomposition, and they determine the degree to which they are unique. In the first main result Theorem 1 is given an interpretation of the quantity \(d\) from the decomposition in terms of arithmetic properties. The second result Theorem 2 gives an interpretation in terms of norm maps for the vector \(\textbf{a}\) from the decomposition. Moreover, in this paper are given field-theoretic interpretations for \(\textbf{a}\) and \(d\), showing they are related to the solvability of a family of Galois embedding problems and the cyclotomic character associated to \(K/F\).