Paper 4, Section II, H

Galois Theory
Part II, 2011

Let KK be a field of characteristic 0 , and let P(X)=X4+bX2+cX+dP(X)=X^{4}+b X^{2}+c X+d be an irreducible quartic polynomial over KK. Let α1,α2,α3,α4\alpha_{1}, \alpha_{2}, \alpha_{3}, \alpha_{4} be its roots in an algebraic closure of KK, and consider the Galois group Gal(P)\operatorname{Gal}(P) (the group Gal(F/K)\operatorname{Gal}(F / K) for a splitting field FF of PP over KK ) as a subgroup of S4S_{4} (the group of permutations of α1,α2,α3,α4)\left.\alpha_{1}, \alpha_{2}, \alpha_{3}, \alpha_{4}\right).

Suppose that Gal(P)\operatorname{Gal}(P) contains V4={1,(12)(34),(13)(24),(14)(23)}V_{4}=\{1,(12)(34),(13)(24),(14)(23)\}.

(i) List all possible Gal(P)\operatorname{Gal}(P) up to isomorphism. [Hint: there are 4 cases, with orders 4 , 8,12 and 24.]

(ii) Let Q(X)Q(X) be the resolvent cubic of PP, i.e. a cubic in K[X]K[X] whose roots are (α1+α2)(α3+α4),(α1+α3)(α2+α4)-\left(\alpha_{1}+\alpha_{2}\right)\left(\alpha_{3}+\alpha_{4}\right),-\left(\alpha_{1}+\alpha_{3}\right)\left(\alpha_{2}+\alpha_{4}\right) and (α1+α4)(α2+α3)-\left(\alpha_{1}+\alpha_{4}\right)\left(\alpha_{2}+\alpha_{3}\right). Construct a natural surjection Gal(P)Gal(Q)\operatorname{Gal}(P) \rightarrow \operatorname{Gal}(Q), and find Gal(Q)\operatorname{Gal}(Q) in each of the four cases found in (i).

(iii) Let ΔK\Delta \in K be the discriminant of QQ. Give a criterion to determine Gal(P)\operatorname{Gal}(P) in terms of Δ\Delta and the factorisation of QQ in K[X]K[X].

(iv) Give a specific example of PP where Gal(P)\operatorname{Gal}(P) is abelian.