The elementary abelian conductor (Q499389)

Let \(K\) be a higher local field of dimension 2 whose reside field \(\overline{K}\) has characteristic \(p\). Let \(L/K\) and \(M/L\) be finite separable extensions. The ramification depth of \(M/L\) with respect to \(K\) is defined to be \[ d_K(L/E)=\inf\{v_K(\mathrm{Tr}_{M/L}(x))-v_K(x): x\in M^{\times}\}. \] If \(E/L\) is an infinite separable algebraic extension define \[ d_K(E/L)=\sup\{d_K(M/L):L\subset M\subset E,\; [M:L]<\infty\}. \] Finally, if \(d_K(E/L)\) is finite and \(F/E\) is a finite separable extension let \(d_K(F/E)=d_K(F/K)-d_K(E/K)\). We say that the extension \(E/K\) is \(i\)-complete if the following two conditions are met: {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[(1)] \(E/K\) is the compositum of countably many cyclic extensions of degree \(p\). \item[(2)] \(E\) is the union of a tower of subextensions whose steps alternate between wildly ramified and fiercely ramified extensions, all with degree \(p\) and ramification break \(i\). \end{itemize}} Let \(K\) be a local field of dimension 2 whose reside field has characteristic \(p\), and let \(L/K\) be a finite separable extension. In this paper it is shown that there is \(i_0\geq0\) such that for every \(i\geq i_0\) with \(p\nmid i\) and every \(i\)-complete extension \(E/K\) one has \(d_K(EL/E)=0\). Using this result, the author defines an analog of the conductor for \(L/K\). This definition can be used to define a ramification filtration for \(L/K\).