Irreducibility of the cyclotomic polynomial from the degree of a cyclotomic extension #
Mathlib proves [L : K] = φ n for an n-th cyclotomic extension L / K once Φ_n is known to be
irreducible over K (IsCyclotomicExtension.finrank). This file records the converse: the degree
of L / K is always at most φ n, and as soon as it is at least φ n the polynomial Φ_n is
irreducible over K. That converse and Mathlib's forward direction give the equivalence
IsCyclotomicExtension.irreducible_cyclotomic_iff_finrank_eq_totient.
Main results #
IsCyclotomicExtension.finrank_le_totient:[L : K] ≤ φ n.IsCyclotomicExtension.irreducible_cyclotomic_of_totient_le_finrank: ifφ n ≤ [L : K]thenΦ_nis irreducible overK.IsCyclotomicExtension.irreducible_cyclotomic_iff_finrank_eq_totient:Φ_nis irreducible overKif and only if[L : K] = φ n.
References #
This is the degree bookkeeping of Milne, Algebraic Number Theory, proof of Proposition 6.2, and
of Sharifi, Algebraic Number Theory, proof of Lemma 3.1.13, where the base field is ℚ.
The degree of a cyclotomic extension is at most φ n.
The bound is unconditional: nothing is assumed about cyclotomic n K. That is what separates it
from Mathlib's IsCyclotomicExtension.finrank, which gives the sharper [L : K] = φ n but only
under Irreducible (cyclotomic n K). Reach for this one when that irreducibility is unknown, or
is itself what is being proved.
Source: Milne, Algebraic Number Theory, proof of Prop. 6.2 ("we know [ℚ[ζ] : ℚ] ≤ φ(p^r)");
Sharifi, Algebraic Number Theory, proof of Lemma 3.1.13 ("[ℚ(µ_{p^r}) : ℚ] ≤ deg Φ_{p^r}").
A cyclotomic extension of full degree has irreducible cyclotomic polynomial. This is the
converse of Mathlib's IsCyclotomicExtension.finrank, and with it gives the equivalence
irreducible_cyclotomic_iff_finrank_eq_totient.
Source: Milne, Algebraic Number Theory, proof of Prop. 6.2 ("(3.34) implies
[ℚ[ζ] : ℚ] ≥ φ(p^r). This proves (a)"); Sharifi, proof of Lemma 3.1.13 ("which forces
[ℚ(µ_{p^r}) : ℚ] = p^{r−1}(p − 1)").
Φ_n is irreducible over K exactly when the cyclotomic extension has degree φ n. The
forward direction is Mathlib's IsCyclotomicExtension.finrank; the converse is
irreducible_cyclotomic_of_totient_le_finrank.
Source: as for the two lemmas it combines.