No label defined (Q4389329)

The title ``Arithmetical similarities'' refers to number field extensions \(K/k\), \(K'/k\) which are similar in the sense that, (1), the sets of primes of \(k\) admitting a residue degree 1 in \(K\), respectively in \(K'\), coincide up to a finite set (Kronecker equivalence), or (2), almost all primes in \(k\) have the same decomposition type in \(K/k\) and \(K'/k\) (arithmetical equivalence). The subtitle ``Prime decomposition and finite group theory'' reflects the main tool for studying those field extensions, namely group theory via Galois theory. In fact, if \(N\) denotes a Galois extension of \(k\) containing \(K\) and \(K'\), then the (value of the) permutation characters attached to the subgroups \(\text{Gal} (N/K)\), \(\text{Gal} (N/K')\) of \(\text{Gal} (N/k)\) carry lots of information on the decomposition types of primes of \(k\) in \(K\), \(K'\). The book presents a very complete account of what is known about extensions satisfying (1) or (2) and depicts a theory in great detail which, after a first peak emerging from direct applications of class field theory and the work of Bauer, Gaßmann et al., has been brought to new life by Jehne and, subsequently, his students (so the author), as well as by Perlis, Saxl, Komatsu and many more mathematicians. Of course, also the completion of the list of finite simple groups has had a big influence on the theory. The book addresses all that, and quite in detail actually, though proofs sometimes are a little sketchy and may even require going back to the corresponding original publications. Undoubtedly, as a reference for what has been achieved with respect to this topic in algebraic number theory, the book is very valuable and highly recommended by the reviewer. However, I have doubts whether it can really push new people into doing research work here. It is true that the author has pretty much collected everything that has been done in the area, but I cannot see that a new insight in the theory is given; neither have problems of big general interest been posed. Here is a (short) list with the individual topics: Bauerian extensions and Kronecker equivalence, Kronecker classes (towers, extensions of prime degree, socle), relations between Kronecker and arithmetical equivalence, arithmetical homomorphisms and applications to class numbers and regulators (including explicit bounds for class number quotients). The fifth chapter concerns fields \(K\) (called Kroneckerian) having the property that their complete Kronecker class only consists of conjugates of \(K\). It presents Jehne's work on quadratic extensions and Saxl's proof of the fact that such are Kroneckerian. Once again group theory provides the necessary means, also for the discussion of quartic extensions as well as generic extensions of degree \(n\). The latter refers to ``\([K:k] =n\), the Galois hull of \(K/k\) has group \(A_n\) or \(S_n\)'', and to Guralnick's work in this respect. In the last chapter, ``Variations'', some weaker notions than Kronecker equivalence are discussed and also generalizations to function fields in one variable with finite field of constants.