Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2010
Let M be a finite extension field of the rational numbers Q, and let CM denote the ideal class group of M. Let l be a rational prime, and let AM denote the l-class group of M (i.e., the Sylow l-subgroup of CM). If G is any finite abelian l-group, we define
where ℤl is the ring of l-adic integers and Fl is the finite field of l elements. One of the classical results of algebraic number theory is the specification of rank AM when M is a quadratic extension of Q and l = 2. This result was obtained by means of Gauss's theory of genera. A generalization of this result can be found in [1], where A. Fröhlich has obtained upper and lower bounds for rank AM when M is a cyclic extension of Q of degree l. His methods also show how to compute rank AM exactly when l = 3. In [4], G. Gras has described a procedure for analyzing the l-class groups of relatively cyclic extensions of degree l. However when l > 3, the computations can be very difficult.