An algebraic field extension \(K \subset L\) is said to be normal if every irreducible polynomial, either has no root in \(L\) or splits into linear factors in \(L\).

One can prove that if \(L\) is a normal extension of \(K\) and if \(E\) is an intermediate extension (i.e., \(K \subset E \subset L\)), then \(L\) is a normal extension of \(E\).

However a normal extension of a normal extension may not be normal and the extensions \(\mathbb Q \subset \mathbb Q(\sqrt{2}) \subset \mathbb Q(\sqrt[4]{2})\) provide a counterexample. Let’s prove it.

As a short lemma, we prove that a quadratic extension \(k \subset K\) , i.e. an extension of degree two is normal. Suppose that \(P\) is an irreducible polynomial of \(k[x]\) with a root \(a \in K\). If \(a \in k\) then the degree of \(P\) is equal to \(1\) and we’re done. Otherwise \((1, a)\) is a basis of \(K\) over \(k\) and there exist \(\lambda, \mu \in k\) such that \(a^2 = \lambda a +\mu\). As \(a \notin k\), \(Q(x)= x^2 – \lambda x -\mu\) is the minimal polynomial of \(a\) over \(k\). As \(P\) is supposed to be irreducible, we get \(Q = P\). And we can conclude as \[
Q(x) = (x-a)(x- \lambda +a).\]

The entensions \(\mathbb Q \subset \mathbb Q(\sqrt{2})\) and \(\mathbb Q(\sqrt{2}) \subset \mathbb Q(\sqrt[4]{2})\) are quadratic, hence normal according to previous lemma and \(\sqrt[4]{2}\) is a root of the polynomial \(P(x)= x^4-2\) of \(\mathbb Q[x]\). According to Eisenstein’s criterion \(P\) is irreducible over \(\mathbb Q\). However \(\mathbb Q(\sqrt[4]{2}) \subset \mathbb R\) while the roots of \(P\) are \(\pm \sqrt[4]{2}, \pm i \sqrt[4]{2}\) and therefore not all real. We can conclude that \(\mathbb Q \subset \mathbb Q(\sqrt[4]{2})\) is not normal.

Let’s describe an example of a field \(K\) which is of degree \(2\) over two distinct subfields \(M\) and \(N\) respectively, but not algebraic over \(M \cap N\).

Let \(K=F(x)\) be the rational function field over a field \(F\) of characteristic \(0\), \(M=F(x^2)\) and \(N=F(x^2+x)\). I claim that those fields provide the example we’re looking for.

\(K\) is of degree \(2\) over \(M\) and \(N\)

The polynomial \(\mu_M(t)=t^2-x^2\) belongs to \(M[t]\) and \(x \in K\) is a root of \(\mu_M\). Also, \(\mu_M\) is irreducible over \(M=F(x^2)\). If that wasn’t the case, \(\mu_M\) would have a root in \(F(x^2)\) and there would exist two polynomials \(p,q \in F[t]\) such that \[
p^2(x^2) = x^2 q^2(x^2)\] which cannot be, as can be seen considering the degrees of the polynomials of left and right hand sides. This proves that \([K:M]=2\). Considering the polynomial \(\mu_N(t)=t^2-t-(x^2+x)\), one can prove that we also have \([K:N]=2\).

We have \(M \cap N=F\)

The mapping \(\sigma_M : x \mapsto -x\) extends uniquely to an \(F\)-automorphism of \(K\) and the elements of \(M\) are fixed under \(\sigma_M\). Similarly, the mapping \(\sigma_N : x \mapsto -x-1\) extends uniquely to an \(F\)-automorphism of \(K\) and the elements of \(N\) are fixed under \(\sigma_N\). Also \[
(\sigma_N\circ\sigma_M)(x)=\sigma_N(\sigma_M(x))=\sigma_N(-x)=-(-x-1)=x+1.\] An element \(z=p(x)/q(x) \in M \cap N\) where \(p(x),q(x)\) are coprime polynomials of \(K=F(x)\) is fixed under \(\sigma_M \circ \sigma_N\). Therefore following equality holds \[
\frac{p(x)}{q(x)}=z=(\sigma_2\circ\sigma_1)(z)=\frac{p(x+1)}{q(x+1)},\] which is equivalent to \[
p(x)q(x+1)=p(x+1)q(x).\] By induction, we get for \(n \in \mathbb Z\) \[
p(x)q(x+n)=p(x+n)q(x).\] Assume \(p(x)\) is not a constant polynomial. Then it has a root \(\alpha\) in some finite extension \(E\) of \(F\). As \(p(x),q(x)\) are coprime polynomials, \(q(\alpha) \neq 0\). Consequently \(p(\alpha+n)=0\) for all \(n \in \mathbb Z\) and the elements \(\alpha +n\) are all distinct as the characteristic of \(F\) is supposed to be non zero. This implies that \(p(x)\) is the zero polynomial, in contradiction with our assumption. Therefore \(p(x)\) is a constant polynomial and \(q(x)\) also according to a similar proof. Hence \(z\) is constant as was supposed to be proven.

Finally, \(K=F(x)\) is not algebraic over \(F=M \cap N\) as \((1,x, x^2, \dots, x^n, \dots)\) is independent over the field \(F\) which concludes our claims on \(K, M\) and \(N\).

Let’s consider \(K/k\) a finite field extension of degree \(n\). The following theorem holds.

Theorem: the following conditions are equivalent:

1. The extension contains a primitive element.
2. The number of intermediate fields between \(k\) and \(K\) is finite.

Our aim here is to describe a finite field extension having infinitely many subfields. Considering the theorem above, we have to look at an extension without a primitive element.

The extension \(\mathbb F_p(X,Y) / \mathbb F_p(X^p,Y^p)\) is finite

For \(p\) prime, \(\mathbb F_p\) denotes the finite field with \(p\) elements. \(\mathbb F_p(X,Y)\) is the algebraic fraction field of two variables over the field \(\mathbb F_p\). \(\mathbb F_p(X^p,Y^p)\) is the subfield of \(\mathbb F_p(X,Y)\) generated by the elements \(X^p,Y^p\). Continue reading A finite extension that contains infinitely many subfields →

We give here an example of a division ring which is not commutative. According to Wedderburn theorem every finite division ring is commutative. So we must turn to infinite division rings to find a non-commutative one, i.e. a skew field.

Let’s introduce the skew field of the Hamilton’s quaternions \[\mathbb H = \left\{\begin{pmatrix}
u & -\overline{v} \\
v & \overline{u}
\end{pmatrix} \ | \ u,v \in \mathbb C\right\}\] Continue reading The skew field of Hamilton’s quaternions →