Non-abelian pseudomeasures and congruences between abelian Iwasa \(L\)-functions (Q959024)

Let \(k\) be a totally real number field, \(\ell\) an odd prime number, \(K\) a totally real field Galois extension of \(k\) containing \(k_ \infty\), the cyclotomic \({\mathbb Z}_ p\)-extension of \(k\). Denote \(G=\text{Gal}(K/k)\), \(H=\text{Gal}(K/k_ \infty)\) and \(\Gamma_ k =\text{Gal}(k_ \infty/k)\). From the work of \textit{J.-P. Serre} [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. A 287, 183--188 (1978; Zbl 0393.12026)] and \textit{P. Deligne} and \textit{K. A. Ribet} [Invent. Math. 59, 227--286 (1980; Zbl 0434.12009)] on abelian \(L\)-functions over totally real fields, follows the existence of a unique element (a \textit{pseudomeasure}) \(\lambda_ {K/k}\in{\mathcal Q}G= \text{Quot}(\Lambda \Gamma)[H]\), where \(\Lambda \Gamma\) is the Iwasawa algebra of a preimage \(\Gamma\) of \(\Gamma _ k\) in \(G\), that encodes all the \(\ell\)-adic \(L\)-functions \(L_ {\ell}(s,\chi)\) of \(K/k\) for the characters \(\chi\) of \(G\) with open kernel. However, its arithmetic properties are not well understood at present. In the general case, when \(G\) is not necessarily abelian, the question is whether an element \(L_ {K/k}\), belonging to an \(\text{hom}\) group has a preimage in \(K_ 1({\mathcal Q}G)\) under the determinant map. Any such preimage may be regarded as a non-abelian analogue of Serre's abelian pseudomeasure. When Iwasawa's \(\mu\) invariant of \(K/k\) vanishes, the abelian case suggests how to find an element \(\lambda\) in \(K_ 1(\Lambda_ \bullet G)\) with \(\det \lambda =L_ {K/k}\) and its image in \(K_ 1({\mathcal Q}G)\) is then a non-abelian pseudomeasure. Here \(\Lambda_ \bullet G\) denotes an appropriate localization. The main goal of the paper under review is to formulate conditions that guarantee the existence of non-abelian pseudomeasures when the \(\mu\)--Iwasawa invariant vanishes. After reviewing some results of previous works, the authors introduce two kinds of congruences between Iwasawa \(L\)--functions which hold precisely when \(L_ {K/k}\in \det K_ 1(\Lambda_ \bullet G)\). The second kind is reformulated in terms of congruences between abelian pseudomeasures. Next it is discussed the first kind for special pro-\(\ell\)-groups \(G\) and reduces them to the above mentioned congruences between abelian pseudomeasures in case the groups \(G\) have nilpotency class \(2\).