On iterated extensions of number fields arising from quadratic polynomial maps (Q2288314)

Let \(k\) be a number field, and \(\phi\in k(x)\) a rational function of degree \(d\geq 2\). Let \(\phi^n\) be the \(n\)-fold iterative of \(\phi\) and set \(T_{\infty}=\bigcup_{n\geq 0}\phi^{-n}( \beta)\) for \(\beta\in{\mathbb P}^1(k)\). Let \(\mathrm{Aut}(T_{\infty})\) be the group of tree automorphisms of \(T_{\infty}\) and \(\mathrm{Gal}(\bar{k}/k)\) be the absolute Galois group of \(k\). Then, we have a map \(\rho\colon \mathrm{Gal}(\bar{k}/k)\to \mathrm{Aut}(T_{\infty})\). The case considered in this paper is when \([\mathrm{Aut}(T_{\infty}):\mathrm{Im}(\rho)]=\infty\). In particular, this case holds when the union of all forward orbits of the critical points of \(\phi\) is a finite set. In this situation, \(\phi\) is called \textit{post-critically finite}. We have that the extension \(k(T_{\infty})/k\) is ramified above finitely many primes of \(k\). Let \(\phi\in k(x)\) be a post-critically finite rational function with \(\deg \phi=p\) and let \(\{\beta_n\}_{n\geq 0}\) be a sequence satisfying \(\beta_0=\beta\) and \(\phi(\beta_{n+1}) =\beta_n\) for \(n\geq 0\). The case considered in this paper is \(p=2\), \(\phi(x)=x^2-2\) and \(\beta=-\gamma\). Then \(T_{\infty}=\bigcup_{n\geq 0}\phi^{-n}(0)\) is the cyclotomic \({\mathbb Z}_2\)-extension of \({\mathbb Q}\). Put \(g(x)=x+\gamma\), \(f=g\circ\phi\circ g^{-1}(x)=(x-\gamma)^2+\gamma -2\). Let \(k_n=k(\alpha_n)\), where \(\alpha_n=\beta_n+\gamma\) is a root of \(f^n(x)\) such that \(k=k_0\subset k_1\subset \ldots \subset k_n\subset \ldots \). Let \(K_n=k(f^{-n}(0))\) denote the splitting field of \(f^n\) over \(k\). Set \(k_{\infty}=\bigcup_{n\geq 0} k_n\) and \(K_n=\bigcup_{n\geq 0} K_n\). The main result of the paper is that if \(2+\gamma\notin (k^*)^2\) and \((2+\gamma)(2-\gamma)\in(k^*)^2\), then: (1) \(\mathrm{Gal}(k_{n+2}/k_n)\cong C_4\) for all \(n\geq 0\); (2) if \(\gamma\) is an algebraic integer, \(k_{\infty}/k\) is unramified outside \(2\); (3) if \(k_{\infty}/k\) is not Galois, \(\mathrm{Gal}(K_{\infty}/k) \cong {\mathbb Z}_2\rtimes {\mathbb Z}_2\) is a \(2\)-adic Lie group of dimension \(2\). One important fact in the proof is a result on \(p\)-indivisibility of the class number of relative \(C_{p^2}\)-extension which is presented in Section 2.