Abelian extensions of global fields with constant local degree

Abstract

Let K be a field, Br(K) its Brauer group. If L/K is a field extension, then the relative Brauer group Br(L/K) is the kernel of the restriction map resL/K : Br(K)→ Br(L). Relative Brauer groups have been studied by Fein and Schacher. Every subgroup of Br(K) is a relative Brauer group Br(L/K) for some extension L/K, and the question arises as to which subgroups of Br(K) are algebraic relative Brauer groups, i.e. of the form Br(L/K) with L/K an algebraic extension. For example if L/K is a finite extension of number fields, then Br(L/K) is infinite, so no finite subgroup of Br(K) is an algebraic relative Brauer group. In [1] the question was raised as to whether or not the n-torsion subgroup Brn(K) of the Brauer group Br(K) of a field K is an algebraic relative Brauer group. For example, if K is a (p-adic) local field, then Br(K) ∼= Q/Z, so Brn(K) is an algebraic relative Brauer group for all n. A counterexample was given in [1] for n = 2 and K a formal power series field over a local field. For global fields K, the problem is a purely arithmetic one, because of the fundamental local-global description of the Brauer group of a global field. In particular, for a Galois extension L/K of global fields, if the local degree of L/K at every finite prime is equal to n, and is equal to 2 at the real primes for n even, then Br(L/K) = Brn(K). In [1], it was proved that Brn(Q) is an algebraic relative Brauer group for all squarefree n. In [2], the arithmetic criterion above was verified for any number field K Galois over Q and any n prime to the class number of K, so in particular, Brn(Q) is an algebraic relative Brauer group for all n. In [3], Popescu proved that for a global function field K of characteristic p, the arithmetic criterion holds for n prime to the order of the non-p part of the Picard group of K. In this paper we settle the question completely, by verifying the arithmetic criterion for all n and all global fields K. In particular, the n-torsion subgroup of the Brauer group of K is an algebraic relative Brauer group for all n and all global fields K. The proof, an extension of the ideas in [2], reduces to the case n a prime power `. We first carry out the proof for number fields K. The proof for the function field case when ` 6= char(K) is essentially the same as the proof in the number field case. The proof for ` = char(K) appears in [3].