Relative Galois module structure of octahedral extensions (Q2370234)

Fix a number field \(k\) and a finite group \(\Gamma\). Let \(\mathcal{O}_{k}\) denote the ring of integers of \(k\) and let \(\mathrm{Cl}(k)\) denote its class group. Let \(N/k\) be an at most tamely ramified Galois extension with Galois group isomorphic to \(\Gamma\). Then \(\mathcal{O}_{N}\) is locally free over the group ring \(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma]\) and determines a class \((\mathcal{O}_{N})\) in the locally free class group \(\mathrm{Cl}(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma])\). Let \(\mathcal{R}(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma])\) denote the subset of \(\mathrm{Cl}(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma])\) of all such classes. It is a conjecture that \(\mathcal{R}(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma])\) is in fact a subgroup of \(\mathrm{Cl}(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma])\). This has been proven by L. R. McCulloh in the case that \(\Gamma\) is abelian [see J. Reine Angew. Math. 375--376, 259--306 (1987; Zbl 0619.12008)]. Several authors have since considered the situation for certain non-abelian groups \(\Gamma\). Let \(\mathcal{M}\) be a maximal \(\mathcal{O}_{k}\)-order in \(k[\Gamma]\) containing \(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma]\). Then each extension \(N/k\) as above determines a class \((\mathcal{M} \otimes_{\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma]} \mathcal{O}_{N})\) in the the locally free class group \(\mathrm{Cl}(\mathcal{M})\). Of course, it is now natural to conjecture that the subset of all such classes \(\mathcal{R}(\mathcal{M})\) is in fact a subgroup of \(\mathrm{Cl}(\mathcal{M})\). As extension of scalars from \(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma]\) to \(\mathcal{M}\) induces a surjective homomorphism \(\mathrm{Cl}(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma]) \rightarrow \mathrm{Cl}(\mathcal{M})\) which maps \(\mathcal{R}(\mathcal{O}_{k}[\Gamma])\) onto \(\mathcal{R}(\mathcal{M})\), the latter conjecture is implied by the former. The main result of the article under review that the weaker conjecture holds when \(\Gamma\) is the symmetric (octahedral) group \(S_{4}\) and the class number of \(k\) is odd. More precisely, under these hypotheses it is shown that \(\mathcal{R}(\mathcal{M})\) is in fact the kernel of homomorphism \(\mathrm{Cl}(\mathcal{M}) \rightarrow \mathrm{Cl}(k)\) induced by the augmentation map \(\mathcal{M} \rightarrow \mathcal{O}_{k}\), and that this kernel is isomorphic to \(\mathrm{Cl}(k) \times \mathrm{Cl}(k) \times \mathrm{Cl}(k) \times \mathrm{Cl}(k)\).