Class number and class group problems for some non-normal totally real cubic number fields (Q5957333)

Consider the family \(K_m\) of nonnormal totally real cubic number fields generated by a root \(\rho\) of the polynomial \(x^3 - mx^2 - (m+1)x -1\) for some integer \(m \geq 4\). After giving criteria for \(\mathbb Z[\rho]\) to be the ring of algebraic integers in \(K_m\), the author shows that in these cases the unit group of \(K\) equals \(\langle -1, \rho, \rho+1 \rangle\), and that there are exactly \(14\) such fields with class number \(\leq 3\), namely the \(K_m\) with \(4 \leq m \leq 18\) and \(m \neq 16\). Assuming the truth of the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis it can be shown that there are \(16\) such fields \(K_m\) whose class groups have exponent \(\leq 3\), namely the \(K_m\) given above as well as \(K_{21}\) and \(K_{38}\) with class groups of type \([2,2]\) and \([3,3]\), respectively. The proof uses analytic methods for proving lower bounds for class numbers and constructing a finite list of fields, and an idea from the geometry of numbers to exclude most of these fields.