Cyclicity of the unramified Iwasawa module (Q533678)

Let \(k_\infty= \displaystyle\bigcup_n\;\;k_n\) the cyclotomic \({\mathbb Z}_p\)-extension of a number field \(k.\) As usual, denote by \(A_n\) the \(p\)-class group of \(k_n\) and \(X_\infty = \displaystyle \lim_\leftarrow \;A_n.\) The authors study the finiteness of the module \(X_\infty\) when it is assumed to be cyclic (= \({\mathbb Z}_p\)-monogenous). Recall that by a well known criterion of Greenberg, \(X_\infty\) is finite if and only if \(A_n\) capitulates in \(k_\infty\) for all \(n.\) Note also that the cyclicity of \(X_\infty\) implies that \(\mu = 0\) and \(\lambda = 0\) or 1. Here is one typical result : suppose that \(X_\infty\) is cyclic and let \(N \geq 0\) be such that all ramified primes in \(k_\infty/k_N\) are totally ramified ; then \(\lambda = 0\) as soon as \(A_N\) contains a non trivial element which capitulates in \(k_\infty.\) In the second part of the paper, the authors focus on the case where \(p = 2\) and \(k\) is a real quadratic field. Improving upon a result of \textit{M. Ozaki} and \textit{H. Taya} [Manuscr. Math. 94, No.4, 437--444 (1997; Zbl 0935.11040)], they determine the rank of \(A_n\) for all \(n\) and, as a consequence, they give the complete list of all real quadratic \(k\) for which \(X_\infty\) is cyclic non trivial. This yields infinite families of real quadratic \(k\) verifying Greenberg's conjecture \((\lambda = \mu = 0),\) generalizing previous examples obtained by Ozaki-Taya (op. cit.).