arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Jan Minac.
Let $p$ be an odd prime number and $F$ a field containing a primitive $p$th root of unity. We prove a new restriction on the group-theoretic structure of the absolute Galois group $G_F$ of $F$. Namely, the third subgroup $G_F^{(3)}$ in the descending $p$-central sequence of $G_F$ is the intersection of all open normal subgroups $N$ such that $G_F/N$ is 1, $\mathbb{Z}/p^2$, or the modular group $M_{p^3}$ of order $p^3$.
C. F. Gauss discovered a beautiful formula for the number of irreducible polynomials of a given degree over a finite field. Assuming just a few elementary facts in field theory and the exclusion-inclusion formula, we show how one see the shape of this formula and its proof instantly.
We investigate the relations in Galois groups of maximal p-extensions of fields, the structure of their natural filtrations, and their relationship with the Bloch-Kato conjecture proved by Rost and Voevodsky with Weibel's patch. Our main focus is on the third degree, but we provide examples for all degrees.
Let G be a finite group and let k be a field of characteristic p. Given a finitely generated indecomposable non-projective kG-module M, we conjecture that if the Tate cohomology $\HHHH^*(G, M)$ of G with coefficients in M is finitely generated over the Tate cohomology ring $\HHHH^*(G, k)$, then the support variety V_G(M) of M is equal to the entire maximal ideal spectrum V_G(k). We prove various results which support this conjecture. The converse of this conjecture is established for modules in the connected component of k in the stable Auslander-Reiten quiver for kG, but it is shown to be false in general. It is also shown that all finitely generated kG-modules over a group G have finitely generated Tate cohomology if and only if G has periodic cohomology.
Let p be a prime and suppose that K/F is a cyclic extension of degree p^n with group G. Let J be the F_pG-module K^*/K^{*p} of pth-power classes. In our previous paper we established precise conditions for J to contain an indecomposable direct summand of dimension not a power of p. At most one such summand exists, and its dimension must be p^i+1 for some 0<=i<n. We show that for all primes p and all 0<=i<n, there exists a field extension K/F with a summand of dimension p^i+1.
Much has been written on reciprocity laws in number theory and their connections with group representations. In this paper we explore more on these connections. We prove a "reciprocity Law" for certain specific representations of semidirect products of two cyclic groups which is in complete analogy with classical reciprocity laws in number theory. In fact, we show that the celebrated quadratic reciprocity law is a direct consequence of our main theorem applied to a specific group. As another consequence of our main theorem we also recover a classical theorem of Sylvester. Our main focus is on explicit constructions of representations over sufficiently small fields. These investigations give further evidence that there is still much unexplored territory in connections between number theory and group representations, even at an elementary level.
In the mid-1960s A. Pfister discovered extraordinary, strongly multiplicative forms which are now called Pfister forms. From that time on, these forms played a dominant role in the theory of quadratic forms. One of the key properties of a Pfister form q is that q extended to a suitable transcendental extension, has the polynomial q as its similarity factor. Pfister's original proof used clever matrix calculations. Here we show that the desired isometry is induced by the multiplication of a suitable field element. We further consider the surprising possibility that Pfister's forms were already known by Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and that they in fact led to a terrible tragedy which is yet filled with a haunting beauty and mystery that can still inspire us to this day.
Using the mixed Lie algebras of Lazard, we extend the results of the first author on mild groups to the case p=2. In particular, we show that for any finite set S_0 of odd rational primes we can find a finite set S of odd rational primes containing S_0 such that the Galois group of the maximal 2-extension of Q unramified outside S is mild. We thus produce a projective system of such Galois groups which converge to the maximal pro-2-quotient of the absolute Galois group of $\Q$ unramified at 2 and $\infty$. Our results also allow results of Alexander Schmidt on pro-p-fundamental groups of marked arithmetic curves to be extended to the case p=2 over a global field which is either a function field of odd characteristic or a totally imaginary number field.
Let p>2 be prime, and let n,m be positive integers. For cyclic field extensions E/F of degree p^n that contain a primitive pth root of unity, we show that the associated F_p[Gal(E/F)]-modules H^m(G_E,mu_p) have a sparse decomposition. When E/F is additionally a subextension of a cyclic, degree p^{n+1} extension E'/F, we give a more refined F_p[Gal(E/F)]-decomposition of H^m(G_E,mu_p).
Freyd's generating hypothesis for the stable module category of a non-trivial finite group G is the statement that a map between finitely generated kG-modules that belongs to the thick subcategory generated by k factors through a projective if the induced map on Tate cohomology is trivial. In this paper we show that Freyd's generating hypothesis fails for kG when the Sylow p-subgroup of G has order at least 4 using almost split sequences. By combining this with our earlier work, we obtain a complete answer to Freyd's generating hypothesis for the stable module category of a finite group. We also derive some consequences of the generating hypothesis.
Let E be a cyclic extension of degree p^n of a field F of characteristic p. Using arithmetic invariants of E/F we determine k_mE, the Milnor K-groups K_mE modulo p, as Fp[Gal(E/F)]-modules for all m in N. In particular, we show that each indecomposable summand of k_mE has Fp-dimension a power of p. That all powers p^i, i=0,1,...,n, occur for suitable examples is shown in a subsequent paper [MSS2], where additionally the main result of this paper becomes an essential induction step in the determination of K_mE/p^sK_mE as (Z/p^sZ)[Gal(E/F)]-modules for all m, s in N.
Let E be a cyclic extension of pth-power degree of a field F of characteristic p. For all m, s in N, we determine K_mE/p^sK_mE as a (Z/p^sZ)[Gal(E/F)]-module. We also provide examples of extensions for which all of the possible nonzero summands in the decomposition are indeed nonzero.
Freyd's generating hypothesis, interpreted in the stable module category of a finite p-group G, is the statement that a map between finite-dimensional kG-modules factors through a projective if the induced map on Tate cohomology is trivial. We show that Freyd's generating hypothesis holds for a non-trivial finite p-group G if and only if G is either C_2 or C_3. We also give various conditions which are equivalent to the generating hypothesis.
A ghost in the stable module category of a group G is a map between representations of G that is invisible to Tate cohomology. We show that the only non-trivial finite p-groups whose stable module categories have no non-trivial ghosts are the cyclic groups of order 2 and 3. We compare this to the situation in the derived category of a commutative ring. We also determine for which groups G the second power of the Jacobson radical of kG is stably isomorphic to a suspension of k.
Let F be a field containing a primitive pth root of unity, and let U be an open normal subgroup of index p of the absolute Galois group G_F of F. Using the Bloch-Kato Conjecture we determine the structure of the cohomology group H^n(U,Fp) as an Fp[G_F/U]-module for all n in N. Previously this structure was known only for n=1, and until recently the structure even of H^1(U,Fp) was determined only for F a local field, a case settled by Borevic and Faddeev in the 1960s. We apply these results to study partial Euler-Poincare characteristics of open subgroups N of the maximal pro-p quotient T of G_F. We extend the notion of a partial Euler-Poincare characteristic to this case and we show that the nth partial Euler-Poincare characteristic Theta_n(N) is determined only by Theta_n(T) and the conorm in H^n(T,Fp).
We present several constraints on the absolute Galois groups G_F of fields F containing a primitive pth root of unity, using restrictions on the cohomology of index p normal subgroups from a previous paper by three of the authors. We first classify all maximal p-elementary abelian-by-order p quotients of such G_F. In the case p>2, each such quotient contains a unique closed index p elementary abelian subgroup. This seems to be the first case in which one can completely classify nontrivial quotients of absolute Galois groups by characteristic subgroups of normal subgroups. We then derive analogues of theorems of Artin-Schreier and Becker for order p elements of certain small quotients of G_F. Finally, we construct a new family of pro-p-groups which are not absolute Galois groups over any field F.
We present several constraints on the absolute Galois groups G_F of fields F containing a primitive pth root of unity, using restrictions on the cohomology of index p normal subgroups from a previous paper by three of the authors. We first classify all maximal p-elementary abelian-by-order p quotients of such G_F. In the case p>2, each such quotient contains a unique closed index p elementary abelian subgroup. This seems to be the first case in which one can completely classify nontrivial quotients of absolute Galois groups by characteristic subgroups of normal subgroups. We then derive analogues of theorems of Artin-Schreier and Becker for order p elements of certain small quotients of G_F. Finally, we construct new families of pro-p-groups which are not absolute Galois groups over any field F.
Hilbert's Theorem 90 is a classical result in the theory of cyclic extensions. The quadratic case of Hilbert 90, however, generalizes in noncyclic directions as well. Informed by a poem of Richard Wilbur, the article explores several generalizations, discerning connections among multiplicative groups of fields, values of binary quadratic forms, a bit of module theory over group rings, and even Galois cohomology.