7 Local Fields

Definition 7.1 (Local field). Let (K,||) be a valued field. Then K is a local field if it is complete and locally compact.

Reminder: locally compact means for all xK, there exists U open and V compact such that xUV.

Example. and are compact.

Proposition 7.2. Assuming that:

Then the following are equivalent:
  • (i) K is locally compact
  • (ii) OK is compact
  • (iii) v is discrete and k=OKm is finite.

Proof.

  • (i) (ii) Let U0 be a compact neighbourhood of 0 (0UZ with U open, Z compact). Then there exists xOK such that xOKU. Since xOK is closed, xOK is compact. Hence OK is compact (xOKx1OK is a homeomorphism).
  • (ii) (i) OK compact implies a+OK is compact for all aK. So K is locally compact.
  • (ii) (iii) Let xm, and AxOK be a set of coset representatives for OKxOK. Then OK=yAy+xOK is a disjoint open cover. So Ax is finite by compactness of OK. So OKxOK is finite, hence OKmOK is finite.o

    Suppose v is not discrete. Then let x1,x2, such that

    v(x1)>v(x2)>>0.

    Then xOKx2OKx3OKOK. But OKxOK is finite so can only have finitely many subgroups, contradiction.

  • (iii) (ii) Since OK is a metric space, it suffices to prove OK is sequentially compact.

    Let (xn)n=1 be a sequence in OK, and fix πOK a uniformiser. Since πiOKπi+1OKk, OKπiOK is finite for all i (OKπOKπiOK). Since OKπOK is finite, there exists a1OKπOK and a subsequence (xn)n=1 such that x1namodπ for all n.

    Since OKπ2OK is finite, there exists a2OKπ2OK and a subsequence (x2n)n=1 of (x1n)n=1 such that x2na2(modπ)2OK. Continuing, this, we obtain sequences (xin)n=1 for i=1,2, such that

    • (1) (x(i+1)n)n=1 is a subsequence of (xin)n=1
    • (2) For any i, there exists aiOKπiOK such that xinaimodπi for all n.

    Then necessarily aiai+1modπi for all i.

    Now choose yi=xii. This defines a subsequence of (xn)n=1. Moreover, yiaiai+1yi+1modπi. Thus yi is Cauchy, hence converges by completeness.

Example.

More on inverse limits.

Let (An)n=1 a sequence of sets / groups / rings and φn:An+1An homeomorphisms.

Definition 7.3 (Profinite topology). Assume An is finite. The profinite topology on A:=limn[]An is the weakest topology on A such that 𝜃n:AAn is continuous for all n, where An is equipped with the discrete topology.

Fact: A=limn[]An with the profinite topology is compact, totally disconnected and Hausdorff.

Proposition 7.4. Assuming that:

Then under the isomorphism OKlimn[]OKπnOK (πOK a uniformiser), the topology on OK coincides with the profinite topology.

Proof. One checks that the sets

B:={a+πnOK|n1,aOK}

is a basis of open sets in both topologies.

For ||: clear.

For profinite topology: OKOKπnOK is continuous if and only if a+πnOK is open for all aOK.

Goal: Classify all local fields.

Lemma 7.5. Assuming that:

Then L is a local field.

Proof. Theorem 6.1 implies that L is complete and discretely valued. Suffices to show kL:=OLmL is finite. Let α1,,αn be a basis for L as a K vector space.

sup (sup norm) equivalent to ||L implies that there exists r>0 such that

OL{xL:xsupr}.

Take aK such that |a|r, then

OLi=1naαiOKL.

Then OL is finitely generated as a module over OK, hence kL is finitely generated over k.

Definition 7.6 (Equal characteristic). A non-archimedean valued field (K,||) has equal characteristic if characteristic(K)=characteristic(k). Otherwise it has mixed characteristic.

Example. p has mixed characteristic.

Theorem 7.7. Assuming that:

Then K𝔽pn((t)) for some n1.

Proof. K complete discretely valued, characteristicK>0. Moreover, k𝔽pn is finite, hence perfect.

By Theorem 5.6, K𝔽pn((t)).

Lemma 7.8. Assuming that:

  • K a field

Then an absolute value || is non-archimedean if and only if |n| is bounded for all n.

Proof.

  • Since |1|=1, |n|=|n|, it suffices to show that |n| bounded for n1. Then note that
    |n|=|1+1++1|1.
  • Suppose |n|B for all n. Let x,yK with |x||y|. Then we have |x+y|m=|i=0mmixiymi|i=0m|mixiymi||y|mB(m+1)

    Taking m-th roots gives

    |x+y||y|[B(m+1)]1m.

    The right hand side tends to |y| as m, hence

    |x+y||y|=max(|x|,|y|).

Theorem 7.9 (Ostrowski’s Theorem). Assuming that:

Then || is equivalent to either the usual absolute value || or the p-adic absolute value ||p for some prime p.

Proof. Case: || is archimedean. We fix b>1 an integer such that |b|>1 (exists by Lemma 7.8). Let a>1 be an integer and write bn in base a:

bn=cmam+cm1am1++c0

with 0ci<a, cm0. Let B=max0c<a1(|c|), and then we have

|bn|(m+1)Bmax(|a|m,1)|b|[n( log ab+1)B]1n1max(|a| log ab,1)mlogabn|b|max(|a| log ab,1)

Then |a|>1 and

|b||a|logab.(∗)

Switching roles of a and b, we also obtain

|a||b|logba.(∗∗)

Then () and () gives (using logab= log b log a):

log|a|loga=log|b|logb=λ>0.

Hence |a|=aλ for all a>1, hence |x|=|x|λ for all x.

Case 2: || is non-archimedean. As in Lemma 7.8, we have |n|1 for all n. Since || is non-trivial, there exists n>1 such that |n|<1. Write n=p1e1prer decomposition into prime factors. Then |p|<1, for some p{p1,,pr}. Suppose |q|<1 for some prime q, qp. Write 1=rp+sq with r,s. Then

1=|rp+sq|max(|rp|,|sq|)<1

contradiction. Thus |p|=α<1 and |q|=1 for all primes qp. Hence || is equivalent to ||p.

Theorem 7.10. Assuming that:

Then K is a finite extension of p.

Proof. K mixed characteristic implies that characteristicK=0, hence K. K non-archimedean implies that |||=||p for some prime p. Since K is complete, pK. Suffices to show that OK is finite as a p-module.

Let πOK be a uniformiser, v a normalised valuation and set v(p)=e. Then OKpOKOKπeOK is finite since πiOKπi+1OKOKπOK is finite. Since 𝔽ppOKpOK we have OKpOK a finite dimensional vector space over 𝔽p.

Let x1,,xnOK be coset representatives for 𝔽p-basis of OKpOK. Then

{i=1naixi|ai{0,,r1}}

is a set of coset representatives for OKpOK. Let yOK. Proposition 3.4(ii) tells us that

y=i=0(j=1naijxj)pi(aij{0,,p1})=j=1n(i=0aijpi)xjp

Hence OK is finite over p.

On Example Sheet 2 we will show that if K is complete and archimedean, then K or . In summary:

If K a local field, then either: