Paper 2, Section II, 20G

Number Fields
Part II, 2021

Let KK be a field containing Q\mathbb{Q}. What does it mean to say that an element of KK is algebraic? Show that if αK\alpha \in K is algebraic and non-zero, then there exists βZ[α]\beta \in \mathbb{Z}[\alpha] such that αβ\alpha \beta is a non-zero (rational) integer.

Now let KK be a number field, with ring of integers OK\mathcal{O}_{K}. Let RR be a subring of OK\mathcal{O}_{K} whose field of fractions equals KK. Show that every element of KK can be written as r/mr / m, where rRr \in R and mm is a positive integer.

Prove that RR is a free abelian group of rank[K:Q]\operatorname{rank}[K: \mathbb{Q}], and that RR has finite index in OK\mathcal{O}_{K}. Show also that for every nonzero ideal II of RR, the index (R:I)(R: I) of II in RR is finite, and that for some positive integer m,mOKm, m \mathcal{O}_{K} is an ideal of RR.

Suppose that for every pair of non-zero ideals I,JRI, J \subset R, we have

(R:IJ)=(R:I)(R:J).(R: I J)=(R: I)(R: J) .

Show that R=OKR=\mathcal{O}_{K}.

[You may assume without proof that OK\mathcal{O}_{K} is a free abelian group of rank [K:Q][K: \mathbb{Q}] ] ]