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 x∈K, there exists U open and V compact such that x∈U⊆V.

Example. ℝ and ℂ 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=OK∕m is finite.

Proof.

  • (i) ⟹ (ii) Let U∋0 be a compact neighbourhood of 0 (0∈U⊆Z with U open, Z compact). Then there exists x∈OK such that xOK⊆U. Since xOK is closed, xOK is compact. Hence OK is compact (xOK→⋅x−1OK is a homeomorphism).
  • (ii) ⟹ (i) OK compact implies a+OK is compact for all a∈K. So K is locally compact.
  • (ii) ⟹ (iii) Let x∈m, and Ax⊆OK be a set of coset representatives for OK∕xOK. Then OK=⋃⁡y∈Ay+xOK is a disjoint open cover. So Ax is finite by compactness of OK. So OK∕xOK is finite, hence OK∕mOK is finite.o

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

    v(x1)>v(x2)>⋯>0.

    Then xOK⊊x2OK⊊x3OK⊊⋯⊊OK. But OK∕xOK 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 π∈OK a uniformiser. Since πiOK∕πi+1OK≅k, OK∕πiOK is finite for all i (OK⊇πOK⊇⋯⊇πiOK). Since OK∕πOK is finite, there exists a1∈OK∕πOK and a subsequence (xn)n=1∞ such that x1n≡amodπ for all n.

    Since OK∕π2OK is finite, there exists a2∈OK∕π2OK and a subsequence (x2n)n=1∞ of (x1n)n=1∞ such that x2n≡a2(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 ai∈OK∕πiOK such that xin≡aimodπi for all n.

    Then necessarily ai≡ai+1modπi for all i.

    Now choose yi=xii. This defines a subsequence of (xn)n=1∞. Moreover, yi≡ai≡ai+1≡yi+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+1→An homeomorphisms.

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

Fact: A=lim⁡n[]←An with the profinite topology is compact, totally disconnected and Hausdorff.

Proposition 7.4. Assuming that:

Then under the isomorphism OK≅lim⁡n[]←OK∕πnOK (π∈OK a uniformiser), the topology on OK coincides with the profinite topology.

Proof. One checks that the sets

B:={a+πnOK|n∈ℕ≥1,a∈OK}

is a basis of open sets in both topologies.

For |∙|: clear.

For profinite topology: OK∕OK∕πnOK is continuous if and only if a+πnOK is open for all a∈OK. □

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:=OL∕mL 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⊆{x∈L:∥x∥sup⁡≤r}.

Take a∈K such that |a|≥r, then

OL⊆⊕i=1naαiOK≤L.

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. ℚp has mixed characteristic.

Theorem 7.7. Assuming that:

Then K≅𝔽pn((t)) for some n≥1.

Proof. K complete discretely valued, characteristic⁡K>0. Moreover, k≅𝔽pn is finite, hence perfect.

By Theorem 5.6, K≅𝔽pn((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∈ℤ.

Proof.

  • ⇒ Since |−1|=1, |−n|=|n|, it suffices to show that |n| bounded for n≥1. Then note that
    |n|=|1+1+⋯+1|≤1.
  • ⇐ Suppose |n|≤B for all n∈ℤ. Let x,y∈K with |x|≤|y|. Then we have |x+y|m=|∑i=0mmixiym−i|≤∑i=0m|mixiym−i|≤|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+cm−1am−1+⋯+c0

with 0≤ci<a, cm≠0. Let B=max⁡0≤c<a−1(|c|), and then we have

|bn|≤(m+1)Bmax⁡(|a|m,1)⟹|b|≤[n( log ⁡⁡ab+1)B]1∕n⏟→1max⁡(|a| log ⁡⁡ab,1)m≤log⁡abn⟹|b|≤max⁡(|a| log ⁡⁡ab,1)

Then |a|>1 and

|b|≤|a|log⁡ab.(∗)

Switching roles of a and b, we also obtain

|a|≤|b|log⁡ba.(∗∗)

Then (∗) and (∗∗) gives (using log⁡ab= log ⁡b log ⁡a):

log⁡|a|log⁡a=log⁡|b|log⁡b=λ∈ℝ>0.

Hence |a|=aλ for all a∈ℤ>1, hence |x|=|x|∞λ for all x∈ℚ.

Case 2: |∙| is non-archimedean. As in Lemma 7.8, we have |n|≤1 for all n∈ℤ. Since |∙| is non-trivial, there exists n∈ℤ>1 such that |n|<1. Write n=p1e1⋯prer decomposition into prime factors. Then |p|<1, for some p∈{p1,…,pr}. Suppose |q|<1 for some prime q, q≠p. Write 1=rp+sq with r,s∈ℤ. Then

1=|rp+sq|≤max⁡(|rp|,|sq|)<1

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

Theorem 7.10. Assuming that:

Then K is a finite extension of ℚp.

Proof. K mixed characteristic implies that characteristic⁡K=0, hence ℚ⊆K. K non-archimedean implies that |∙||ℚ=|∙|p for some prime p. Since K is complete, ℚp⊆K. Suffices to show that OK is finite as a ℤp-module.

Let π∈OK be a uniformiser, v a normalised valuation and set v(p)=e. Then OK∕pOK≅OK∕πeOK is finite since πiOK∕πi+1OK≅OK∕πOK is finite. Since 𝔽p≅ℤ∕pℤ↪OK∕pOK we have OK∕pOK a finite dimensional vector space over 𝔽p.

Let x1,…,xn∈OK be coset representatives for 𝔽p-basis of OK∕pOK. Then

{∑i=1naixi|ai∈{0,…,r−1}}

is a set of coset representatives for OK∕pOK. Let y∈OK. Proposition 3.4(ii) tells us that

y=∑i=0∞(∑j=1naijxj)pi(aij∈{0,…,p−1})=∑j=1n(∑i=0∞aijpi)xj∈ℤp

Hence OK is finite over ℤp. □

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

If K a local field, then either: