On number fields towers defined by iteration of polynomials (Q2673894)

This paper deals with class numbers in arithmetic dynamics. More precisely, if \(f \in \mathbb{Z}[X]\) is monic, of degree \(d>1\), and \(f(a_1)=0, f(a_2)=a_1, f(a_3)=a_2\) etc., we have a sequence of fields \[ K_1 \subset K_2 \subset K_3 \subset \cdots \cdots \] where \(K_n = \mathbb{Q}(a_n)\). If the iterates \(f^n\) of \(f\) are irreducible, different choices of the roots of \(f^n\) give isomorphic fields; hence the fields \(K_n\) depend only on \(f\). Eisenstein polynomials \(f\) for a prime provide a class of examples for which all the iterates \(f^n\) are Eisensteinian (for the same prime) and hence, irreducible. The first main result of the paper proves that for a number field \(K\), a prime ideal \(P\) of \(O_K\), any \(P\)-Eisensteinian monic polynomial \(f \in O_K[X]\) of degree \(\geq 2\), the chain of number fields \(\{K_n = \mathbb{Q}(a_n) \}\) where \(f^n(a_n)=0\), satisfies the property \(h(K_n)\) divides \(h(K_{n+1})\) for all \(n \geq 1\). Here \(h(K)\) denotes the class number of a field \(K\). The other main result of the paper concerns iterates of a quadratic polynomial \(f= X^2-c\) where \(c \in \mathbb{Z}\). Suppose there exists \(N>0\) so that for all \(n \leq N\), the iterated polynomials \(f^n\) are irreducible. Then \(O_{K_n} = \mathbb{Z}[a_n]\) for all \(n \leq N\) where \(K_n = \mathbb{Q}(a_n)\) and \(f^n(a_n)=0\), if and only if, \(c \equiv 2\) or \(3\) mod \(4\) and \(f^n(0)\) is square-free for all \(n \leq N\). It should be noted that the above result does not prove monogenicity of \(O_{K_n}\) because it is not claimed that \(a_n \in O_{K_n}\). The proofs depend mainly on the classical Kummer-Dedekind criterion. We remark that for the Tchebychev polynomial \(f = T_2 = x^2 - 2\) and its iterates \(f^n = T_{2^n}\), it is an old conjecture due to Weber asserting that \(h(K_n) = 1\) for all \(n \geq 1\). In this case, \(K_n\) is the maximal real subfield of the cyclotomic field \(\mathbb{Q}(\zeta_{2^{n+2}})\).