Noether's problem on semidirect product groups (Q2404950)

Let \(K\) be a field, \(G\) a finite group. Let \(G\) act on the function field \(L = K(x_\sigma : \sigma \in G)\) by \(\tau\cdot x_\sigma = x_{\tau\sigma}\) for any \(\sigma, \tau\in G\). Denote the fixed field of the action by \(K(G) =L^G\). Noether's problem asks whether \(K(G)\) is rational (i.e., purely transcendental) over \(K\). The present article investigates Noether's problem for semidirect products. It is known that if \(G = C_m\rtimes C_n\) is a semidirect product of cyclic groups \(C_m\) and \(C_n\) with \(\mathbb Z[\zeta_n]\) a unique factorization domain, and \(K\) contains an \(e\)th primitive root of unity, where \(e\) is the exponent of \(G\), then \(K(G)\) is rational over \(K\). In this paper, the authors give another criteria to determine whether \(K(C_m\rtimes C_n)\) is rational over \(K\). Namely, let \(m, n\) be positive integers, where \(n\) is an odd prime, \(K\) be a field such that neither \(m\) nor \(n\) is multiple of the characteristic of \(K\) and both the primitive roots of unity \(\zeta_m, \zeta_n\) lie in \(K\). Let \(G = C_m\rtimes C_n=\langle\sigma_1,\sigma_2:\sigma_1^m=\sigma_2^n=1,\sigma_2^{-1}\sigma_1\sigma_2=\sigma_1^r\rangle\), where \(r^n\equiv 1\) (mod \(m\)). Let \(m'=m/\mathrm{gcd}(m,r-1)\). Suppose there exist relatively prime integers \(a_1,\alpha_{n-2},\dots,\alpha_0\) such that \(a_1m'=\alpha_{n-2}r^{n-2}+\cdots+\alpha_1r+\alpha_0\) and \(x=\alpha_{n-2}\zeta_n^{n-2}+\cdots+\alpha_1\zeta_n+\alpha_0\) satisfies the norm \(N_{\mathbb Q(\zeta_n)/\mathbb Q}(x)=m'\). Then \(K(G)\) is rational over \(K\). In Corollary 18 the authors find a class of groups that meet the conditions.