On the \(p\)-adic completion of the units of a real abelian number field (Q2637175)

Let \(k\) be a real abelian number field with Galois group \(G\), let \(E\) denote its unit group and \(C\) the subgroup of cyclotomic units à la Sinnott. For a given odd prime \(p\), one is interested whether there exists a Minkowski-unit \(\varepsilon \in E\) such that \(p\) does not divide the index \((E : \langle \varepsilon \rangle _{\mathbb Z [G]})\). Let \(\mathcal K\) denote a \(p\)-adic completion of \(k\) and \(\mathcal O\) its valuation ring. The above question can be reduced to study the \(G\)-module structure of \(E \otimes \mathbb F_q\), where \(q\) is a suitable power of \(p\), or of \(E \otimes \mathcal O\); more precisely, \(p\) does not divide the above index if and only if these modules are cyclic \(G\)-modules. If \(p \nmid \# G\), a positive answer is given by using previous results of the author [J. Number Theory 133, No. 7, 2324--2338 (2013; Zbl 1292.11121)]. The larger part of the paper is devoted to study the difficult case \(p \mid \# G\), whereby \(G\) is assumed to be cyclic. In this case, the answer depends, among other facts, on the factorization behaviour of ideals within the \(p\)-part of the extension \(k/\mathbb Q\). Finally, the author combines these results with his former ones to relate the index of \(G\)-modules arising from \(E\) and \(C\) with the \(p\)-part of the class number of \(k\), and also to obtain annihilators for the \(p\)-part of the class group of \(k\). This generalizes results of \textit{F. Thaine} [Ann. Math. (2) 128, No. 1, 1--18 (1988; Zbl 0665.12003)].