The rank of the group of relative units of a Galois extension (Q5937393)

Let \(L/K\) be a finite Galois extension of number fields, and let \(E_{L/K}\) denote the group of relative units, i.e., units whose relative norm to every proper subextension of \(L/K\) is a root of unity. Let \(\mathcal E_{L/K}\) be \(E_{L/K}\) modulo roots of unity. Then \(\mathcal E_{L/K}\) is a free \(\mathbb Z\)-module, and the authors show that its rank is \(s_{L/K}n_G\), where \(s_{L/K}\) denotes the number of infinite primes of \(K\) unramified in \(L\), and \(n_G\) is the \(\mathbb R\)-dimension of \(\bigcap_H\ker\text{Tr}_H\), where \(H\) ranges through the subgroups \(\neq 1\) of \(G\) and \(\text{Tr}_H\) is the left \(G\)-endomorphism \(x\mapsto x\sum_{h\in H}h\) of the group ring \(\mathbb R[G]\). The authors compute the value of \(n_G\) explicitly in different cases. The result is almost complete with the exception of two families of groups \(G\) containing \(SL(2,\mathbb F_p)\), where \(p\geq 17\) is a Fermat prime. In an earlier paper [Proc. Japan Acad., Ser. A 64, No. 8, 304-306 (1988; Zbl 0672.12002)], the first author obtained the result for an abelian \(G\). In this case \(n_G=\varphi([L:K])\), where \(\varphi\) is Euler's function, if \(G\) is cyclic, and \(n_G=0\) otherwise. As an interesting purely group-theoretical by-product the authors give a complete characterization of all finite groups having no non-cyclic abelian subgroups. This is closely connected with the nonvanishing of \(n_G.\)