On the indices of biquadratic number fields having Galois group \(V_ 4\) (Q2277013)

Let \(K\) be an algebraic number field and \(Z_K\) its ring of integers. For any \(\alpha\in Z_K\), \[ I(\alpha) = [Z_K^+ : \mathbb Z[\alpha]^+] \] is the index of the element \(\alpha\), where \(Z_K^+\) and \(\mathbb Z[\alpha]^+]\), respectively denote the additive groups of \(Z_K\) and the polynomial ring \(\mathbb Z[\alpha]\). The greatest common divisor of the indices of all integers of \(K\) is called the field index of \(K\), and will be denoted by \(m(K)\). Problem 22 of [{W. Narkiewicz}, Elementary and analytic theory of algebraic numbers. Warszawa: PWN -- Polish Scientific Publishers (1974; Zbl 0276.12002)] asks for an explicit formula for the highest power of a given prime dividing \(m(K)\). \textit{T. Nakahara} [Arch. Math. 41, 504--508 (1983; Zbl 0513.12005)] studied the field index of non-cyclic but abelian biquadratic number fields. He showed that the field index of such fields is of the form \(2^\alpha 3^\beta\) with \(\alpha\leq 2\), \(\beta\leq 1\). Further, he proved that the field index of such a field is odd if and only if the field discriminant is even. Let \(m,n\) be distinct square-free rational integers and let . In this paper we determine the field index of \(K\), i.e. the greatest common divisor of the indices of the integers of \(K\). In this paper we consider the same type of biquadratic fields \(K={\mathbb Q}(\sqrt{m},\sqrt{n})\), where \(m,n\) are distinct square-free integers. These fields are normal over \(\mathbb Q\), and are exactly the ones having Galois group \(V_4\). We study their field indices and show that all possible values of \(2^\alpha 3^\beta\) with \(\alpha\leq 2\), \(\beta\leq 1\) do in fact occur. As examples we present parametrized infinite families of fields for each possible value of \(m(K)\). The main result of this paper then is a characterization of the occurring field indices in terms of the parameters \(m, n\) thus solving Narkiewicz's problem for these types of fields. The interesting feature of our proofs is that they only require simple modular arithmetic and hence the necessary computations can be done on any PC.